Slimestalk

Slimeforts’ ingenious defenses against the environment allowed them to become yet larger and more diverse. New adaptations have developed to suit their bizarre life cycle.

Slimestalks are generally similar to the slimefort in appearance, but have some minor physical differences. For one, the adults are taller and more narrow, but conversely the larvae are wider and more bulky. Their two main “leaves” are larger, and have longer protrusions used for photosynthesis. These blunt, needle-like appendages are now separate segments, allowing them to quickly regenerate when broken off. Their leaves also have the musculature to sightly rotate, allowing them to face the sun at all times during the day. Additionally, their water funnels are also wider, allowing them to collect more water and act as a secondary site of photosynthesis.

Slimestalk larvae have slightly deeper pit eyes, allowing them more surface area with which to detect light. Their behavior mainly revolves around the time of day, an advantage that goes well with photosynthesis. In the absence of light the larvae become more active, and will start to wander around looking for food. Their leaves are covered in chemoreceptive pores, allowing them to smell food from much further away. At day, however, the larvae will rest, only moving when they sense a predator or when they are in under another organism’s shadow. This allows them to photosynthesize without expending any extra energy. Like terran plants, slimestalks take up CO2 in the day and O2 at night. Larvae will also absorb more oxygen on average, while adults absorb more carbon dioxide.

While slimestalks still create a protective wall of dried mucus, they now do so with greater efficiency. Their fort does not extend with them into the ground. Rather, their underground mucus pores convert into holes used to take up soil and minerals. These minerals are transported into the aboveground pores, where they are excreted along with the mucus. This allows them to save lots of water and nutrients, while also making their fort much stronger.

Adults also have six tubes leading to their second body segment, which are used to lay eggs. These holes will at first be covered by a layer of chitin, which becomes thinner and weaker when they are fertilized. This layer finally breaks away when the adult’s roughly marble-sized eggs are laid.