Cryomower

The Cryomower split off from a polar species of Plentmower. It is a very peculiar species of plenteater, as it does not eat asterplents at all--instead, it is a connoisseur of teal flora. It has developed adaptations to fit its polar habitat and unusual choice of food.

The Cryomower’s cellulose filament coat has advanced into long cotton-like fibers. Though they appear white as snow, much like the fur of a Terran polar bear the cotton is actually transparent. This keeps the Cryomower insulated against the harsh cold while simultaneously allowing light to pass through for the purpose of photosynthesis.

The Cryomower’s chemoreceptive ability has also developed further. Instead of small patches of skin, it has deep pits lined with scent receptors. These are incidentally squeezed by muscle movements during locomotion, clearing out old air and causing new air to flow in. This, in turn, allows the Cryomower to detect the scent of the tiny teal flora it eats far more easily. As with the ancestral chemoreceptive patches, these nostrils come in sets of 5 on the top side of the end of each arm, though they are pretty well-hidden by their cotton.

Like its ancestor, the Cryomower is only active during the summer. In the winter, it partially buries itself in the ground, slows its metabolism almost to a stop, and waits out the dark cold. It eats using modified locomotory baits near its mouth to pull flora into its mouth. It reproduces sexually using its 20 reproductive organs (5 per arm)--gonopods in males, and pore-like openings in females. Developing eggs are nurtured by the female’s sugars until they hatch internally and are ready to be born and live on their own. It has lost the ability to reproduce by fragmentation, as fragments usually freeze to death because of their exposed flesh and it stopped being advantageous.