Common Naelk

The Common Naelk is the result of some Laminatos that took to the open ocean, becoming pure filter-feeders.

This descendant of the Laminato dwells in the Sunlight Zones of LadyM, swimming in schools of 20 to 30 and filtering the water for plankton using its modified mandibles. These mandibles are covered in heavily ciliated bristles, with which it traps plankton and particles for feeding. Its body is more curved and streamlined than its ancestor, an adaptation for its new lifestyle. Likewise, its upper antennae have also atrophied somewhat, and have lost their mucus-covered bristles. Its tail fin has become broader and more rounded, allowing for quicker turns and greater speed in short bursts. Finally, its coloration has changed to become a very light grey color.

The Naelk's reproduction is the same as its ancestor, except that instead of laying eggs in hollowed-out crystal plants, it has taken up broadcast spawning, simply allowing its eggs to drift on the ocean currents until they hatch into a planktonic, nauplius-like larval form, which eventually molts into an adult Naelk.