Uncatapleura

Uncatapleura imperator

Evolution and Etymology
This name means « Curved ribs », in reference to the earth’s arthropleura.
Evolutive history of benthopodes
Uncatapleura’s order, benthopodes, are descending from the first Ambulospeculida. But those animals were subject to a neoteny and were unable to leave water. This event explains the higher foots number, the possession of 4 eyes and the absence of internal cartilaginous structures. However, the benthopodes conserved a lots of adult’s Ambulospeculida traits as the formation of armours on the foots, the head and the back. So, at their beginning, Benthopodes were entirely aquatic. They used to be detritivore cleaning the seabed like trilobites. So did benthopodes developed a good sense of smell and an electric sensitive detection and location system but finding themselves with a pretty bad eyesight.
Generalities of Uncatapleura
Uncatapleura represents the biggest benthopode discovered to this day, U. Imperator being capable of reaching up to three meters long. This gender is less generalist than the others benthopodes as Uncatapleura mostly feeds by hunting and searching for carcass. So, he lives in a solitary lifestyle. During reproduction, the female legs eggs in a hole dig into silt. Next, the male will fertilize them before burying them to hide them the other predators. Uncatapleura is the only benthopode known able to go on dry land. He’s able to retain water into his pulmonary alveolus for approximately 10 hours. The 3 appendices dedicated to nutrition have evolved a lot since Ambulospeculida. The 2 lateral appendices were transformed into powerful claws. Each of those claws have a different function, the right claw injects venom and the left one a mixture of pheromones. Those pheromones are used by Uncatapleura to find the bitten prey after that the venom’s action. Only the central appendix is used for the absorption of nutriments. This last one has evolved into a powerful horned beak. The 2 lateral claws are also used to handle smaller prey. As this organism is amphibious, he possesses a double system to smell in water and on land. Like the majority of benthopodes, as an extra sense, Uncatapleura owns a system of electro-sensors making it able to the signals of the potentials preys or predators. There are also small muscles disseminated along the animal’s body generates a small electric field allowing it to locate himself environment. There is two protuberances at the end of the animal, those are dedicated to the electro-sensation. All those electrics abilities are useful to the organism which has a poor vision. One their back shell, live a lot of organisms like algae or fungus. All those organisms are generally useful to the animal by helping it to camouflage. But they can also create deadly infections for the animal if his backs shell is broken. Those organisms vary depending on the specie of Uncatapleura as they live in different environment. Uncatapleura can swim on short distances by undulating up and down. But as this animal isn’t a good swimmer due to his heavy carapace and to the lack of hydrodynamic, he prefers to walk on his 24 foots on land and seabed. Uncatapleura is also able to stand up the front part of his body like a cobra.
Uncatapleura Gouldensis
U. Gouldensis (in reference to the paleontologist Stefen Jay Gould) lives mainly in the shallow waters surrounding archipelagos and reefs. He is mainly a scavenger but can occasionally hunt benthic and nekto-benthic organisms. He wanders from isle to isle, roaming beaches hoping to find a carcass thrown back by the sea. His most common hunting technic consists into burying himself in the seabed waiting for an unlucky organism to pass by there. While hunting, he buries himself completely using his electric sensors for detecting prey and retaining water in his pulmonary alveolus. He’s often the biggest animal in the island he visits for feeding. As he’s mostly a scavenger, his venom is less virulent as U. Imperator ones. He’s a bit smaller as his sister-taxa due to the competition with all the others big predators and scavengers living in the same environment. Even so, once U. Gouldensis is adult, he can reach between 1,7 up to 2,3 meters long.
Uncatapleura Imperator
U. Imperator (« Emperor » because he’s the biggest benthopode known) lives mainly in swamps and in fluvial deltas. He occupies an ecological niche similar to the terrestrial crocodilians. U. Imperator is principally an active predator but he’s also a scavenger when he finds a dead animal. Thanks to his venom, he often hunts prey a way bigger than himself. When he’s hunting, he places himself near the shore waiting for a prey to show up, when this happens, he brutally jumps out of the water and pinches his victim with his two claws. Afterwards, the predator will let his prey escape, waiting for venom to takes effect. At this point, he only needs to follow the chemical trace to find the dead body of its victim. He also hunts aquatic animals, using the same strategy as U. Gouldensis. In the muddy waters of the swamps, his electro-sensors are really useful as there is practically no visibility. Uncatapleura Imperator is the biggest benthopode to exist as certain specimens reach size of three meters long.