alexries
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🕑 Added 2015-12-29 16:56:16 +0000 UTC Here it is, folks!I shall begin putting rewards together, and distribute them when payment has been processed. Anything in particular my Level 3 and above patrons want to know? Drop in a comment and I will consider it for the expanded materials.
"The Reef Antlerworm, a robust and ill-tempered marine
predator with a broad distribution in the warmer waters of Chri-irah, has been
of interest to birrin natural historians, and fishermen, for some time.
Reaching a maximum length of around 3 feet, this species,
one of the larger of this group, is dwarfed by the more rarely encountered
giants of the deeper oceans, still manages to dominate its shallow water
habitat. Hunted by divers for thousands of years for both its meat and egg masses,
scientific interest has been focused on its informative anatomically
adaptations, which offer important clues into the early evolution of the
quadrilaterians to which the birrin belong.
Relying on surprise when hunting, the reef antlerworm
insinuates itself among marine debris on reefs and wrecks, showing only the
tips of its sensory tentacles and eyestalks as it waits for prey, predators or
rivals. Any small creature that swims too close is rapidly subdued in an
explosive tangle of tentacles that erupt from around the mouth. The huge
ornamental jaws are opened during prey capture, both to threaten any
opportunistic predators, and simply to make room for food to pass. Spines at
the jaws’ base help push prey down the expansive gullet, most of which is
swallowed whole.
The jaws, actually a slight encumbrance when feeding,
come into their own when antlerworms meet one another. Prime hunting spots on a
reef can be hard to come by, and prey concentrations can change with tides and
seasons. There is a constant battle to secure the best reef hollows and caves,
and the worms often leave their haunts to attempt to find somewhere more
productive. If they find a more desirable site is already taken, both will rise
up from the sea floor, jaws held wide, and face off. If one set of jaws is
obviously larger than the other, the smaller worm will usually retreat. Evenly
matched opponents, however begin by locking jaws and pushing one another to
determine strength. If that is not enough, a furious and usually brief fight
begins, each trying to injure the other. The loser, sometimes fatally wounded,
retreats. If no longer mobile, it may even be partially eaten.
While not a ‘primitive’ organism, the antlerworms belong
to a group that split off from the main quadrilaterian branch hundreds of
millions of years ago. While the branch containing the birrin maintained its
stalked eyes and sensory tentacles in many cases, they presently play no role
in feeding. However, as revealed by fossils such as the BASKETWORM, what become
eyestalks in the birrin were originally lophophoroid structures evolved to
catch food via filter feeding. Rather than reducing their role in prey capture,
the branch that become antlerworms vastly increased the size and strength of
these organs, using them as powerful tentacles capable of both sensing and
grasping prey. The eye spots, initially at the ends of the tentacles, evolved
downwards and away from the vulnerable tips to nearer the body and are thus
protected from struggling food.
These adaptations offer scientists a window into the
early role of quadrilatarian sensory tentacles, and why, even if not directly
involved in feeding among the birrin and their relatives, remain evolutionarily
important to the group today."
