Saltwater Remucate
Diet: B.fossancoris and B.litorus
Size: 27 Cm long
Zone of origin: zone 14
R.temnis, the saltwater remucate, is an aveslont of the genus remucauda, descended from R.subaquatica, the saltwater remucate is also aquatic and is named for the fact that where it lives is now saltwater, thankfully one species of bulb, B. Fossancoris, had made the transition as well, allowing this species to survive, the saltwater remucate is notably different from its ancestor in that it has a much bulker beak, this is to snip the stems of its prey so it can feed on it at leisure near the surface, they also have slight countershading so as to remain camouflaged in the water.
The saltwater remucate has also developed a special gland near its kidneys that filters as much salt into its urine as possible to counter all the salt being consumed by the remucate, the saltwater remucate pauses this system during hibernation however so they don’t accidentally kill themselves by removing all the salt from their bloodstream.
The saltwater remucate’s beak is much more specialized for its new strategy of eating, where is snips the stems of B.fossancoris, causing it to rise upwards and allowing the remucate to spend less time fighting the currents in the middle of the river and more time eating at their leisure with easy access to air, the specializations that are the most important are how much bulkier it is, and how much shorter it is, the shortness allows it to snip stems quicker, think of it like the front of a pair of scissors vs the back, the back is closer to the ‘muscles’ and thus has a higher amount of strength than the area furthest from the ‘muscles’.
The saltwater remucate is also larger than its ancestor to a significant degree at 27 centimeters, this is to aid it in fighting against the new oceanic currents that have appeared in its habitat as larger objects are harder to drag along, compare a copepod to a fish for example, while the copepod is so small that it doesn’t stand a chance, due to their larger size fish can move much more freely than copepods, and while it applies at a much smaller scale here, the logic is still present, larger or heavier objects fight against the currents better, so larger individuals had an easier time accessing food, hence the larger size of the remucate.
The saltwater remucate has distinctive striping present, though at first this would seem to be a display of some kind or something, it is actually an adaptation to blend in with the wavy bottom of the river, as currents bustle along they leave distinct patterns in the substrate, hence the remucate’s striping, another adaptation of the saltwater remucate is that is has countershading, disguising it from above the water and below it, which is important as their habitat is now much wider and open to much bigger, deadlier predators.
The saltwater remucate, when it is time to reproduce, will emerge onto the land and skitter about in a frenzy for about a week, once every 2 weeks during the active seasons, mating with any receptive females found along the way, during this period of time the saltwater remucate will feed on B.litorus, they mate just like their ancestors, sliding their cloacas together and inserting sperm, impregnating the female, the clutch size is the same, being around 15-25 soft eggs that are buried in the soil away from the river banks, the young will not enter the water until they are 14 centimeters long but instead will skitter about on the shoreline and eat B.litorus, when the water temperature drops below 12 degrees celsius the saltwater remucate will burrow into the sediment on the banks of the river and hibernate through the winter when its only food is scarce.