Caltrop Crystal

The Caltrop Crystal split off from its ancestor as members of the Binucleus Stellarcrystal species adapted further to their coastal environment. Due to their roughly round shape, Binucleus Stellarcrystals were prone to being washed ashore by the waves. As generation after generation passed, these coastal specimens selected for traits that would make them less prone to being moved by the waves and being washed ashore. This resulted in the four 'arms' of the Caltrop Crystal. These arms make them slightly harder to be pushed around by waves and more likely to be caught onto various objects such as rocks. The Caltrop Crystal's four crystalline arms grow perpetually as a means of keeping them from being buried under sediment. However, these arms will eventually break off. While this exposes the core of the parent crystal, making it vulnerable to parasites, the severed 'arm' will eventually grow into an entirely new Caltrop Crystal, given that it is not overwhelmed by parasites as well. Aside from fragmentation, the Caltrop Crystal also reproduces through releasing gametes from the ends of its arms. These gametes will drift through the water until they come across another gamete of the opposite sex. The two will then fuse and cell division will begin. Severed fragments will also be capable of reproduction, given that they have regenerated enough so that their exposed cores are covered with new crystalline growth. However, once an arm is lost, the parent crystal will not be able to reproduce with the deformed, flat-tipped arm that grows to take its place. However, specimens often remain intact long enough to reproduce at least once.