Drifting Furry Plort

Drifting Furry Plort
Creator	Squidy
Information
Status	Extant
Common Name(s)	Drifting Furry Plort
Zones	F
Roles	Producer
Classification
Genus	Plortatus
Species	Plortatus summapellicius
Evolution
Date	September 18th, 2019
Ancestor	Dangling Furry Plort
Descendants	False Swamp Plort Furry Bush Plort Paradoxical Plort Suckling Plort Swamp Plort

Plortatus ostenpellicius took measures to protect its seeds by making them less accessible to hungry Helids. By growing its seeds from a higher position, this helped protect them from Helids that are unable to climb up to reach them. However, this still left them vulnerable after being dropped below where Helids may already be feeding on lower, more-accessible or previously fallen seeds.

Plortatus summapellicius, otherwise known as the drifting furry plort, started protecting its seeds by encasing them in a thin layer of flesh from the vines coated with the trichomes covering the rest of the polyph. The trichomes are longer than the trichomes formed elsewhere, extending 1-2 centimeters from the surface of the seed. This adaptation helps protect the seeds in two ways: The trichomes and flesh coating help block the taste of the seeds, making them less appetizing to Helids, which are driven by their sense of taste. Additionally, the trichomes offer the seeds some lift, allowing the wind to knock them loose from the vines and tumble them along the ground for some distance. This helps the species spread, and keeps its seeds from eaten all in one place.

The polyph is also taller than its ancestor at 7-8 to feet, allowing the wind better opportunity to pick up its seeds and roll them away.

It reaches full height in about 2 weeks (14 days), and produces numerous seeds year-round as they are blown around the surrounding area.