Swooping Euryptile

The swooping euryptile evolved as a result of a population moving into LadyM Ocean's sunlight zone. With food being hard to find in the open ocean, the swooping euryptile has adapted to feeding on the only viable food source availabe: the cish.

Swooping euryptiles are typically spotted floating upside-down on the surface of the ocean. Their bodies are a light blue, making them hard to spot from above. This floating behavior allows them to conserve energy while they wait for a shoal of cish to come within range. The swooping euryptile has developed chemoreceptors in its claws that greatly increase its ability to detect prey. Once within range, the swooping euryptile will rapidly flip over and charge towards the school, attempting to snatch up as many cish as possible. Their last pair of legs have been modified to become flatter and broader, increasing the combined surface area of the fin and leg. With their food being small and hard to catch, their mouth has been modified into a snout that allows the swooping euryptile a better chance to catch their prey. Swooping Euryptiles will also attack chambered siluros by incapacitating them with a bite followed by the swooping euryptile grabbing onto the siluro with its limbs and flipping it over. This suffocates the chambered siluro. Swooping Euryptiles now have wrists that make it easier for them to manipulate their prey. This is used to tear apart the prey by ripping the armor plating from the body.

Because finding a mate is difficult in the vastness of the open ocean, male swooping euryptiles have developed the ability to produce pheromones to attract distant females. Once the two meet, they will spawn, leaving behind a floating mass of eggs. Young swooping euryptiles begin life as filter-feeders, possessing comb-like 'teeth' that allow them to filter food from the water. These teeth are eventually modified to be used for hunting prey. Juvenile swooping euryptiles will feed on virtually anything that it can safely swallow. As the larvae grow, they will switch to larger prey. This process continues until the juveniles grow large enough to consume cish and siluros.