Reef Snood

Returning to a lifestyle more reminiscent of their ancestor the Coral Cish, the reef snood has adapted and proliferated through the reefs of the shallows of Wright & Fermi.

Feeding
The reef snood has the same restrictions on feeding as their ancestor, preferring to limit their feeding to organisms with weaker skeletons. Their mouth tentacles have adapted for feeding in the sediment, forming a short tube when protruded which they have developed to root out prey or eggs hidden in the sediment.

Adaptations
They have adapted a body plan specialized for reef living. They are dorso-ventrally elongated and laterally compressed, giving these snoods bodies well suited for rapid maneuvering in the tight corners of the reefs. They have sacrificed speed, floating rather listlessly through the waters while they hunt for prey.

Reproduction
The snood lay their eggs among the various reef forming species, particularly among the branches of the shevalcyons. The hatchlings will then feed on various planktonic species, kept safe by the tangled reef structures, until such a time as they grow large enough to actively hunt on their own. When mature, the males will display their prowess as a potential mate by building nests among the sediment, and defend them from rival males and potential threats. In times of plenty, the adults will undergo a biochemical triggered event that will cause their bodies to prioritize the production of offspring, to the point that their internal resources are exhausted and they die soon after mating. They will lay their eggs and then seek out more open waters to die in, so as to not attract predators to their brood. In times of scarcity, the adults will only produce a limited clutch of eggs, and will instead watch over the eggs to maximize their reproductive success, waiting to spawn breed in better seasons.