Kythali





The Kythali has taken up a benthic lifestyle. Its five pairs of lateral tentacles have become simple limbs, each supported by a cartilaginous rod. Its beard tentacles have moved forward and now surround the mouth. It uses these tentacles to sift through the substrate to unearth burrowing organisms and underground portions of flora in the area. Its gills have become fused into its body, with gill slits to cover and protect the gills when they are retracted inside the body for safety. Its endoskeleton has continued to ossify, with cartilaginous connections between the rings becoming bone. The new bones above the limbs serve as a connection point for their cartilage support rods. Its digestive system has developed new sections. A distinct stomach has formed, allowing it to separate breakdown of food, and the absorption of nutrients. Its reproduction method has moved further towards r-selection, producing upwards of 1000 eggs with each mating. Females will lay eggs in shallow dug outs in the substrate with the male fertilizing them. The Female will then bury the eggs and let them develop. They will hatch after a week into free swimming, bilateral juveniles which will settle into their benthic lives after 1-2 months.