Southern Drapiastar
As a sister taxa to the Northern Drapiastar, the Southern Drapiastar has taken a path that is both similar and different in multiple ways. Their range extends throughout many tropical and subtropical regions around Wright. They are able to have such a range due to their eggs having the ability to survive the digestion process sometimes thanks to a shell that contains calcium. And have a body built for traversing the land and sea floor. Their skin is less susceptible to loosing water than its ancestor, though has to find a body of water eventually. They have whiskers protruding from each chemoreceptive pad to help with smelling on land. Their anal fingers are elevated from the ground as to avoid damaging them. Their digging capabilities have been increased, its side legs being stronger and more flexible to move sediments easier. The skin around each of its side feet is thicker and more durable than the rest of the skin on its body. It contains small deposits of calcium and other minerals throughout, as well as cells that can be replaced and contain water easier. Due to its diet containing multiple species of Shrewvs, it uses the heavy metals in their shell to form its teeth in adulthood and reinforce its armor plating. As individuals grow older, the mineral deposits in their side arms can become visible, creating a somewhat bumpy, uneven, and even sharp texture, and making its skin more vulnerable to tearing. Their respiratory system has evolved somewhat similarly to that of insects, having a long strip of interior used for extracting oxygen. The exact form of their respiratory system on the inside resembles two long noodles, witch go from right before the anal foot, to slightly wrapping around its brain. If threatened by a predator, they will attempt to burrow into the ground, but if they aren't able to and/or are cornered, they will use their mouth to warn, and possibly harm them. They will sleep partly buried in the ground, their spiracles exposed. These spiracles are surrounded by hairs to avoid things getting in. Due to their wide range, many populations don't have to find a watershed to mate and lay eggs, instead just looking for a mate and laying eggs directly into the sediments. They inhabit both freshwater and saltwater. As such, they have evolved organs around their respiratory organs that helps stabilize their salt levels, injecting excess into the digestive tract to be eliminated from the system. When moving from saltwater to freshwater and vice versa, their blood goes through several changes to adapt in the change of salinity in the water.
Feeding Strategy & Interactions with Gilsto
On land, they have adapted a new style of feeding, adopting a more ambush predator-like tactic for fauna, using its raptorial limb and mouth to grab onto prey and break anything that seems important. They will hide in just about anything, ranging from rocks, to dense growths of Grassterplents, which they look out from for anything that moves. When potential prey is spotted, they will watch for as long as they can before they are forced to leave due to depleting oxygen levels or dryness. Like in the water, they will occasionally burrow to look for food, which this helps them hunt Mini Wormbacks, as well as giving them access to the roots of flora. Unlike most other organisms, Gilsto are one of the harder things to get, and have many interactions with each other depending on certain things. These two species show a predator-prey relationship, both species being both prey and predator to each other, and has caused the Southern Drapiastar's brain to grow. When they spot one in the open, they will generally keep their distance, and observe them. If they are attacked by it, they will simply retreat, or at least try to. It is in their instinct to examine holes in the ground, which sometimes leads them to food, such as Gilsto, which it ambushes while it's resting in its burrow.