Nimerigar Mauvoid

From Sagan 4 Beta Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

The nimerigar mauvoid split from its ancestor to pursue a lifestyle similar to that of a Terran planthopper. As they split from their ancestors, a variety of mutations caused their lower jaws to fuse into a proboscis-like organ. Said organ is tipped with a sharp, radula-like appendage that rasps away at the bark or skin of the flora it feeds on to get to the sap of the flora. Once it gets to the sap of the flora they are on, it will insert its proboscis into the purple flora and sucks out as much sap it can from it before getting full and leaving. Throughout its lifespan, a single nimerigar mauvoid changes hosts frequently, and can practically drain smaller hosts dry.

The aformentioned radula.

Their digestive system has become more efficient in order to get as many nutrients as they can in a single feeding. Their shells have become denser and the patterns on their back have become more complex with disruptive coloration. They typically mate around summer and reproduce somewhat quicker than their ancestors. Because of the shape of their lower jaws, they must dig out their burrows under large flora with their claws. The females lay clutches of up to 30 eggs which they keep watch over underground, with their heads sticking out of their burrow. Once the offspring hatch, the spike in local predators results in four of every thirty offspring surviving to become adults.

The nimerigar mauvoid is even more specialized for feeding on foliostrum. It can quickly and efficiently filter their toxins from its body. This comes at the cost of restricting them to a somewhat slow metabolism, analogously to how Terran koalas must use some of its daily energy to flush out the toxins produced by eucalyptus leaves.