Leaf-Eating Dark Needleworm
Due to a climatic change dramatically decreasing their food source, the Dark Needleworm (Acutognathus tenebris) experienced a plummet in numbers. However, this meant that some few individuals with detrimental deformities can now better survive the environment than their ancestors.
The Leaf-Eating Dark Needleworm (Acutognathus foliovenator) does not experience the same detrimental effects thanks to its needle not fully-forming. Needleworms with deformed needles never seemed to be common before as the seeds of False Cockti (Prolixa metriapatros) were much more nutritious. However, they better thrived the extinction event as they could actually scoop up and swallow the fallen leaves of Quadristirpis aurantiacofolium off the ground by tilting their heads. Their echolocation and circadian rhythm is identical to the ancestor.
They expell water out of their cells, slow down metabolism, and go dormant when it is winter as a form of freeze tolerance. The expelling of water prevents too many ice crystals from forming (which can harm cells) and the slowdown of metabolism reduces oxygen and water usage. When it warms up and the surrounding snow melts, they reabsorb water into their bodies.
Leaf-Eating Dark Needleworms had to change their guts to be able to digest these leaves, so they developed a gizzard-like structure in the middle of the stomach that consists of muscles contracting in-and-out to help crush up passing leaves.
The part of the stomach containing the "gizzards" is more narrow so the muscles have closer contact, and so the stomach is divided into two sides. Leaf-Eating Dark Needleworms have also developed a habit of occasionally swallowing exposed rocks to help grind up leaves in the stomach even further. Stones too large to pass the gizzards are in the first half of the stomach, while smaller stones that do happen to pass are on the other side and continue to grind up already-crushed leaves to help with the efficiency of Leaf-Eating Dark Needleworm digestion without the presence of a symbiotic microbe.
Leaf-Eating Dark Needleworms grow around forty centimeters (40 cm) in length. They strive to be closer to the maximum size range as larger individuals can better withstand the cooling climate and can retain more energy for surviving cold winters. Other than sleeping in three hour (3 hr) shifts, they move as often as possible as the friction of their muscles produces some heat. Their darkly-pigmented skin also helps to absorb heat.
Leaf-Eating Dark Needleworms mature around ten weeks (10 wks) after hatching from the egg and mate with other members of the species in the summer season, when they can spend more energy and still survive. Females can lay around fifteen (15) eggs and they refill egg stocks once a month (1 mon).
