Urchin Shrewv

The Urchin Shrewv has developed to become much more mobile. It has specialized its four foot pseudopods into the equivalent of a leg. Each is expanded and contracted in such a way as to lift the foot and move it forward, albeit rather slowly. Its shell is covered in tiny bristly spines to deter predators. Its eye-spots now rest on the ends of their own pseudopods, which give the Urchin Shrewv a full 360 degree vision. This, however, is only good for detecting light and motion, and not having any mental mapping of its environment. It is driven to food through scent. When it finds suitable food, it will sit on the food and begin to dissolve it using its feeding pseudopods located at a gap on the ventral side of the Urchin Shrewv.

Reproduction is primarily done through budding, with a new Shrewv cell being produced and released through the foot pseudopods into the substrate. Genetic material can be transferred between Urchin Shrewv on the occasion that they meet one another. This is done through direct contact of the foot pseudopods and results in both individuals essentially merging genetic code and becoming siblings.

In the substrate, a new Urchin Shrewv will accrete its shell until it has exhausted the minerals within its reach. When buried they will filter-feed, using their feeding pseudopods. To do this they need to bury themselves upside down, but they remain buried enough as to have a place to retreat to. It will then dig itself out to the surface to search for food and a new place to accrete more of their shell. The lives of Urchin Shrewvs are dictated by the seasons. In winter when filter-feeding is more difficult, young Urchin Shrewvs will spend the time repairing and expanding their shells. They will bury themselves for 1-3 months and accrete as much shell as they can from the substrate. Come spring they will emerge and continue their search for food, both in filter-feeding and in scavenging off of dead fauna.