Springheel





The Springheel has expanded its range into Drake, being one of the first Siluros to do so. It has taken to a completely herbivorous lifestyle, feeding on the various wormflora, asterplents and cryoflora of its range. All four of its tentacles have a pair of claws used to tear off chunks of floral matter. Its young start their lives in the water, hatching from eggs and spending their first few months as swimming larva. These larvae will scavenge and feed on detritus, growing to 6 cm in length and developing their adult features. This includes their hard keratin coverings, limbs, lungs, and the modification of their tail into a limb. At this point they will exit the water and begin their lives on land. This development from hatchling to terrestrial can take up to 3 months, and full size will be reached after 1 year. The tail limb has developed for a new method of motion: jumping. The toe has become a wide and flat foot, which provides a solid point of contact to push off from. The remainder of the leg has stiffened, with the heel lengthening and fusing with the adjacent segment and powerful muscles being contracted in the upper segments, which when released, forcefully extend the limb to propel the Springheel forward. They can jump 10 body lengths with each jump, but can't jump easily in succession so their main locomotion is a system similar to their ancestor.