Imumoslontus asperos

Imumoslontus asperos
Creator	OviraptorFan
Information
Status	Extant
Zones	C
Roles	Base-Consumer, Detritivore
Classification
Genus	Imumoslontus
Species	Imumoslontus asperos
Evolution
Date	January 25th, 2022
Ancestor	Imumoslontus deductionis
Descendants	No results

As populations of Imumoslontus deductionis thrived on the shoreline of zone 23, intraspecific competition become a problem. This pushed individuals to move further away from the water's edge to search for food. To live a fully terrestrial existence, the ancestors of Imumoslontus asperos needed several adaptations.

4-8 centimeters long
Originated in Zone C

I. asperos spends almost all of their time underground during the day, only coming to the surface under the cover of darkness when it is cooler because of desiccation risk since they lack integument. I. asperos has a hard, rough sheath on the snout composed of keratin. This keratin covering aided the species with digging, being better able to push apart soil as they move forward. This behavior wears down the sheath over time so it continuously grows.

They rely on their senses of touch and sight, resulting in their eyes changing to better focus in air than water. To see while moving around on the surface at night, I. asperos developed a tapetum lucidum to maximize light absorption. To help avoid being spotted by predators, I. deductionis have dark greyish brown back and flanks while the underside is a dark grey. These patterns and colors along with their habit of being underground much of time helps avoid predators. An I. asperos can only last an hour and a half if exposed in broad daylight, the thick skin of the species along with being underground during the day means they can be terrestrial.

I. asperos do not breed in mass orgies like their ancestors, instead males and females will breed with one another if they come across a member of the opposite sex. The females lay between 100 and 200 eggs at a time underground, where the substrate retains moisture. The young taking about 3 weeks to mature, at first feeding on decaying organic matter along with taxonophytes before shifting to a full taxonophyte diet. Once the young become adults, they can survive as long as eight months.