Wormsnout

With the rise of the wormreefs and their kin throughout the warm waters of Dorite and nearby regions, it was only natural that eventually a species would evolve that would specialize to feed upon them. The wormsnouts represent one such species. A descendant of the smaller dappershells, the wormsnouts have forgone the more diverse diet of their ancestors for one that revolves entirely upon the aquatic, reef-building floral worms. With the aid of an elongated, trunk-like snout, they can pry and poke into every nook and cranny and hole that makes up the typically reef structure, and snatch up tasty morsels within to consume. Both physically and behaviorally, this species has adapted to its new habitat and has since managed to thrive, with the average reef structure dominated by over a dozen males at a time, as well as by their hundreds of offspring.

As with the dappershells, the wormsnouts display a degree of sexual dimorphism. However, while their ancestors merely differed primarily by the length of the fingers upon their anal arms, the wormsnouts have far exceeded this. Male wormsnouts possess even longer anal fingers compared to that of their ancestors, and even bear colorful markings upon them which signify their sexual maturity. They also possess a more developed raptorial arm that has been repurposed as a sexual display. Said arm is unveiled during mating dances, whereupon it is waved back in forth as part of an elaborate display while the male swims in figure eights around the female. When not in use, the raptorial arm is held flush against the body in order to reduce drag. While they will routinely chase off other males that inhabit their personal territories (typically a foot or two of reef structure), such fights rarely end in violence beyond a few nips here and there, as males instead tend to instead show off their colors at one another. Those with more vibrant colorations - an excellent indicator of fertility, health, and vitality - tend to hold dominance, with younger, weaker, and sicklier individuals fleeing their approach and being forced to take up less desirable spots on the reef.

Female wormsnouts bear prominent physical differences of their own. Besides being nearly twice as large as the males - necessary in order to help support their reproductive efforts - they also possess a more streamlined shape and longer, more powerful flippers. Unlike the males, which tend to zealously guard their reef territories, the females routinely migrate between the various feeding grounds, and thus have adapted to move as quickly as possible through the open waters in-between them. Once they arrive at a reef, they will often gorge themselves on young polyps and fleeing juveniles, all awhile the local males "bicker" amongst themselves and attempt to woo the females with their dances. Should a female accept the advances of one of these males, she will reciprocate the dance and then allow the male to copulate with her. Following this, she will remain at the reef for up to two or three weeks, after which she will lay a clutch of eggs within the security of the reef structure itself. She will show no further attention to her brood beyond this, and will begin to migrate to the next reef, leaving the eventually hatching young to fend for themselves.

Young wormsnouts, while still small and vulnerable, will often hide deep within the holes that can be found throughout the reef mounds. They are safe from most predators within these spots, and a constant current brings both oxygen and planktonic species upon which they made feed. They will continue to live like this for several months, as by that time they will be large enough that most smaller predators will ignore them, while at the same time they are fast enough to be able to dart back to the safety of the twisting wormy confines of the reef should larger predators arrive.

The impact of wormsnouts on wormreefs and wormosseums is noticeable. While individual polyps may die, it is often the sickly and older ones which this species prey upon. By removing them, they allow for healthier polyps to take their place, thus benefiting the health of the reef as a whole. While occasionally a juvenile may be consumed whole by a wormsnout, it is rarely a fatal process as the digestive system of this species is geared more towards their floral adult forms, with the population of gut microbes within, melter detriti, having shifted away from a meat-based diet as well. Like the Terran water beetle and frog, the juvenile worms can often wiggle their way through the labyrinth that is the gut of the wormsnout and, in a cloud of greenish sand, escape through the other end. While with a male this often means the juvenile is back in its own reef, should this instead involve a female wormsnout, the juvenile may instead find itself in the middle of its migration. Surrounded by fresh fertilizer, this can encourage new reef growth, and has helped contribute to the expansion of various reef building worms.