Esoteralimnus

## Esoteramalimnus latacorpus

Status: VU

Timespan: R.76 - Present

Habitat: Shallow Sea

Distribution: Southern Hemisphere Temperate Seas

Niche: Herbivore

Nutritional Value: 163.7

Size: 22cm (length)

Predecessor: Hemithateus amniotus

Classification: Esoteralimnusidae, Makouridea, Caudaria

Latest Mutations: Swim Bladder = 4, Intelligence = 6, Closed Circulatory System = 1, Fat Storage = 5

Info: A biological mystery, unlike all its relatives, it does not have an open circulatory system but has a pool of hemacoel containing the inside of its body. This is very inefficient, as the oxygen dissolves rather slowly to where it is needed and this results in much weaker stamina. It cannot outrun its predators and is forced to fight them off. However, it can float indefinitely, so it can escape Thanostoma rex which can't, but there are smaller Thanostoma with the same ability. It can go for longer without food than its cousins, as it has increased fat storage, giving this species its wide shape. Esoteralimnus often gather in loose, uncoordinated groups for safety in numbers and lay their eggs close to seaweed or seamoss. The young are very skittish and flee at the slightest disturbances. It's name means 'inner blood lake', referring to its unique circulatory system.

Description: The long, blue, tapering body becomes quite wide around the middle due to a layer of fat. It is supported by vertebrae of bone, although the whip-tail at the end is composed of flexible cartilage. Along the body are three gill slits and a line of electroreceptors. There are no limbs. The head has a cartilage jaw, with a pair of venomous fangs surrounded by square shaped teeth. On each side of the head is a pinhole eye, with the ability to swivel around. At the end of the tail, two venomous spikes stick out. A gut leads to a stomach containing weak digestive herbivorous bacteria which can only break down small bits of plant matter. Connected to the gut is a swim bladder. The muscles contain special vacuoles for storing extra energy. The entire inner body is nourished by a pool of hemacoel, which is not pumped around but allowed to dissolve slowly into organs. The nervous system is controlled by a fairly small brain, which is believed to have a very small memory sector, for recognition of predatory species.

Behaviours:
1. Skittish.
2. At 50% maturity, they switch from skittish to normal.
3. When reproducing, lay eggs near vegetation.
4. Gravitate towards each other.
5. Recognise predators faster.

Previous Mutations: Extra-Efficient Muscles, Electroreceptors, Open Circulatory System, Whip Tail, Three Gill Slits, Two Poisonous Spikes on Tail, Dentine Teeth, Venomous Fangs, Cartilage Jaw, Two Swiveling Pinhole Eyes (1 on each side of head), Weak Digestive Herbivorous Enzymes, Plant-Eating Teeth, Bone Vertebrae, Genders, Eggs

Discoverer: Jellyfishmon

## Esoteramalimnus abrictus

Status: LC

Timespan: R.96 - Present

Habitat: Temperste Shallows

Distribution: Tartarus South Coast

Niche: Herbivore

Size: 33cm

Predecessor: Esoteralimnus latacorpus

Classification: Esoteralimnusidae, Makouridea, Caudaria

Latest Mutations: Eye, Bigger

Info: With a predator like Xirnikrozz patrolling the small area of shallow sea in temperate conditions left, it pays to be alert. The predator is faster and has greater stamina, so Esoteralimnus abrictus has good eyes and skittish behaviour to give itself the best chance. Like Esoteralimnus latacorpus, they generally stick in large groups for added protection. The species name is taken from the dinosaur Abrictosaurus, meaning “very awake reptile.”

Description: The long, blue, tapering body becomes quite wide around the middle due to a layer of fat. It is supported by vertebrae of bone, although the whip-tail at the end is composed of flexible cartilage. Along the body are three gill slits and a line of electroreceptors. There are no limbs. The head has a cartilage jaw, with a pair of venomous fangs surrounded by square shaped teeth. On each side of the head is a a true eye, with the ability to swivel around. At the end of the tail, two venomous spikes stick out. A gut leads to a stomach containing weak digestive herbivorous bacteria which can only break down small bits of plant matter. Connected to the gut is a swim bladder. The muscles contain special vacuoles for storing extra energy. The entire inner body is nourished by a pool of hemacoel, which is not pumped around but allowed to dissolve slowly into organs. The nervous system is controlled by a fairly small brain, which is believed to have a very small memory sector, for recognition of predatory species.

Behaviours:
1. Skittish.
2. At 50% maturity, they switch from skittish to normal.
3. When reproducing, lay eggs near vegetation.
4. Gravitate towards each other.
5. Recognise predators faster.
Previous Mutations: Extra-Efficient Muscles, Electroreceptors, Open Circulatory System, Whip Tail, Three Gill Slits, Two Poisonous Spikes on Tail, Dentine Teeth, Venomous Fangs, Cartilage Jaw, Two Swiveling Pinhole Eyes (1 on each side of head), Weak Digestive Herbivorous Enzymes, Plant-Eating Teeth, Bone Vertebrae, Genders, Eggs, Swim Bladder, Improved Intelligence, Hemacoel Pool, Fat Storage

Discoverer: StealthStyle