Duopusia

**Duopusia**, commonly known as Duopi, are an order under the class Duopoda and are distinguished by many features that make them a different order from the only other living order of Duopods, Vertesta. They are named after the Latin root "duo" meaning "two" because they have two main tentacles that they use to hunt prey.
Duopi comes in two suborders, Venpi (venomous duopi), and Novenpi (non-venomous duopi). They evolved from the clade Duopus.

## Anatomy

Duopi all share several features that make them an order. These are generally summarized in three main features: A lack of a shell (as opposed to Vertesta), two main central eyes, and a fin-like extrusion at their end that is used for locomotion (except in the case of some species that have traces of an internal one). Because of their simple body structure, they are divided into only two main body parts: the head and the tail. The head contains the eyes, tentacles, brain, and mouth, while the tail contains the anus, a simple intestinal track, siphon, and gills.

The eyes of the duopus is a simple yet effective one; it works by absorbing light in a pupil and reflecting it away when not needed on a sclera. The pupil can grow and contract, similar to those of vertebrates on earth, and the duopus does not have an eyelid of any form. Light absorbed is sent to light-detecting cells called Xenatons (named after the Greek for strange eyes), which then trigger electrical signals that are sent to the brain. The brain is located in the center, directly under the top eye and behind the mouth. It is the duopus's main organ used for thinking and performing tasks, functioning similarly to many other brains on Earth and Hume III. The tentacles are controlled by long, fibrous muscles that are supported by small bones made of calcium carbonate. The mouth has no bones, as it is retractable and extendable as to be able to eat its prey more easily. Duopi can often eat animals up to half their size and in some cases larger than themselves.

The tail contains the gills, which are microscopic and thus cannot be seen with the naked eye. The gills are located in various places, including the sides just behind the fin, behind the eye, and sometimes completely covering the tail. Regardless of placement, they all function much the same way of those on Earth, by extracting air and filtering out water and carbon dioxide. The intestinal tract of duopi is simple, as it only contains a mouth, stomach, anus, and intestine-like tubes that connect the three. The stomach works in a very unusual way when compared to those on Earth, as it has no acids or enzymes to break down food, rather, it contains millions of dissolving cells that dismember food cell by cell and absorb nutritious parts while leaving waste to be excreted out the anus.

The siphon is used as an extra boost in case they need to escape a predator or catch a slightly faster prey, it absorbs water in through it and stores it into a swim bladder like organ used for maintaining buoyancy in the water like the swim bladder of a fish on earth, it can be aimed in all directions.

## Habitat

Duopi live all around Hume III, though they do not live on land and are seen at a maximum depth of approximately 8,000 feet (2438.4 meters) as seen in *Longacauda altumus*.

## Diet

Duopi are all carnivorous, meaning they only eat other animals. They have been seen eating various different animals, and often have digestive systems shaped to accommodate for whatever animals live around them. For example, the species *Insolitamlolligo oligana* (one of only a few species that have lost their second eye,) primarily fed on Oligans, and thus its digestive system was shaped to provide for this. One exception is *Insolitamlolligo joshuai*, one of the only known duopi to be a generalist, which is likely how it survived the mass extinction event 333,333,333 years ago.

## Breeding

Breeding strategies of Duopi are the same, as they reproduce sexually through releasing sperm and egg cells into the water, similar to fish on Earth. Once eggs are fertilized, they either immediately begin developing or wait until conditions are more favorable to develop. Some duopi hatch fully developed, whereas others hatch as soon as possible and may not have a fully grown eye or digestive track to maximize the amount of reproduction. As infants, they are usually about one hundredth the size of an adult and often grow at a remarkable rate, reaching full maturity in as soon as half a year in some species.

## Adaptations

As Duopi are a whole order, they are diverse in their adaptations to predators, prey, climate, and many other struggles they might face, however, they do share some common adaptations. One thing they share is a fin, as mentioned previously, to help them swim through the water. They "wiggle" their body up and down to swim, similar to dolphins and whales on Earth, allowing them to swim very quickly to catch prey and escape predators. But they also have a siphon for a bit of extra speed just in case. The fastest duopus is *Celer celer*, able to swim up to 70 miles per hour despite being only about four feet long and half a foot tall. The largest duopus, *Celer giganticus*, is in the same genus and can grow to be up to 20 feet long and 4 feet in height.

## Threats

Threats vary between Duopi, as they are diverse and while some are about the size of the head of a pin and are easy prey for many larger animals, some are very large such as the previously mentioned *Celer giganticus* and are an apex predator in their local ecosystem.

## Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalisaliena

Superphylum: Xenololigana

Phylum: Capitemanibus

Class: Duopoda

Order: **Duopusia**

Families under Duopusia:

Timeripoteratlolligae