Hairy Headass
Another population of the worm headass (W. dontria) had its own approach to avoiding predators. Its babies were already covered in setae which mainly served to make them water-resistant; soon, the hairy headass found another use for them--making itself very unpleasant to eat.
It has long setae in its adulthood, which rub off easily and irritate the mouths of their predators, often making them spit them out instead of actually eating them. It is also dark brown in color, helping it hide from potential predators better than its ancestor did; it still needs this because if a predator actually bites down, hairy or not it’s a goner. Though this does not always save its life, it is more energy efficient than the method used by its poisonous cousin, so it evens out.
The hairy headass is otherwise identical to its ancestor. It grows 2-3 inches in length, and adults mate twice a year, laying 6-8 small round eggs in a sealed-off burrow where they incubate for 2 weeks. Hatchlings have only 3 segments, but grow to have 6 total. The legs are located on the 4th segment. It primarily feeds on L. clearensis.
