Litorincolus maritimus

Litorincolus maritimus
Creator	D̜͙̟͉ìn̨̹o̬̗C̼̮̣͡óaͅt͜
Information
Status	Extant
Zones	31, K, L
Roles	Base-Consumer
Classification
Genus	Litorincolus
Species	Litorincolus maritimus
Evolution
Date	July 27th, 2019
Ancestor	Litorincolus acrilluda
Descendants	Litorincolus flumensis

While Oculolophus acrilluda was opportunistically foraging the shorelines of Zone 31 in search of polyph matter to consume, a new behavior began to come along which increased their chances of survival. They learned to go for the water to escape hungry wyverns, such as Pinpointers (Draconiraptor kokovajilotus) and Pinprickers (Draconiraptor fundatus). This behavior became advantageous, as they were more likely to evade predators this way and it was worth the risk of being caught in river currents to prevent their deaths, and these members eventually accumulated adaptations for a semi-aquatic lifestyle, becoming a new species known as Oculolophus maritimus.

Oculolophus maritimus is thirty centimeters (30 cm) in length, taking its lengthened tail into count. This allows it to swim faster, so that wyverns are less likely to grab them before they head an escape. Oculolophus maritimus will travel on land by bringing its head up-and-down to scoot its body along, but in the water it will do the opposite- moving its tail and body side-to-side, exploiting its tail's shape to gain the fastest speed. Breathing underwater is less of a problem as they naturally respirate through their skin, which oxygen can diffuse through, but they slow down their heartbeat as the oxygen content is lower than in the air. Although they are capable of conserving enough oxygen for ten (10) minutes, they will usually leave the water after five to seven (5-7) minutes for safe measure. They, however, will spend a majority of their time on land so that they will find mates and avoid overeating their food sources, also spreading time on land to recover lost oxygen levels from the water. In the water they will consume Carpefloat (Stratunato virenparvus) and Ovalgae (Primophytorus ovalus), while on land they will consume stems of Aruraherba caesicoles and Aruraherba wetrilli which they can swallow whole. How they prevent jamming up their echolocation system with water is that they will instinctively close their crest upon entering the water, and they will instead feel their way around as their echolocation is important on land.

Oculolophus maritimus matures approximately seven (7) weeks after exiting from the egg. Adults will attempt to reproduce with others of their kind, and successful fertilizations result in the female laying a cluster of around twenty-five (25) eggs in uneroded soil, which is so that the eggs are not washed away and sent to places that are inhospitable for survival. Hatchings have a similar shape to their parents and fend for themselves, with no apparent social structure, and some may be fed on by Pinpointers, Pinprickers, and Blattealimax panivore by chance before achieving maturity.