Polep

A Polep is a type of fauna native to the Toxic Cyan Continent on Clown Planet. They were submitted by rjhjkm1. They live in herds next to toxic seas and rivers, but only at low altitudes. They are smooth, tall and thin creatures with long trunks which end with a mouth opening. Their nose is located right above the trunk and it has two small openings. Their eyes are often closed, but when open they look like plain black dots. Their skin can be various shades of gray with no other markings. Their ears are just two holes on the side of their heads. Poleps have tall and robust hooves that could be capable of landing strong kicks, although they choose not to.

They are one of the few animals that are able to turn toxins into energy. They are crucial for the development of biodiversity as they feed on the toxins and excrete pure water. Near a herd of Poleps, you are sure to find pockets of tundral plants and moss. After millions of years, they have somewhat diversified their diet and are now capable of eating small insects and grass. Because their body is built to absorb toxins, their meat is incredibly poisonous. However, even creatures that could technically withstand the poison, such as some predatory subspecies of the Worm Dragon, prefer not to eat them: their meat tastes so sour that even the most desperate of predators will hesitate before eating it. Since they are never predated upon, they have no defense mechanisms and don't even attempt to run away from danger. A while after their death, their toxicity starts to lower, giving Laughing Scavengers the occasion to eat them with relatively small consequences.

## **Subspecies**

After the diversification of plant life in the ecosystem, several ecological niches were created that different species of Poleps have evolved to fill.

### **Moss Eating Polep**

A subspecies of Polep that has shifted its diet towards moss and small mushrooms. They consume their food by vacuuming it up with their short trunks without chewing. It is way smaller and shorter than its ancestor and has large, circular ears. Its eyes are slightly larger and they have long whiskers near their nose openings. Unlike their ancestor, they have a strong shell-like structure on their back in which they retreat to when toxic fluids rain from the sky. This shell usually has some type of moss growing on it, which makes the creature harder to spot from above. Also unlike its ancestor, it is often predated due to its toxin-free diet which makes its meat way more edible. Its predators are the several carnivore subspecies of the Worm Dragon and more aggressive Laughing Scavengers.

### **Tunneling Polep**

An even smaller subspecies of Polep that has adapted to living almost completely underground. Its front hooves have turned into long claws used for digging. They inhabit extremely complex underground tunnel systems that form huge colonies. Their ears are longer and bigger of its moss eating cousin and its eyes have adapted to see in complete darkness. Their diet consists of underground tubers and occasionally plants and mushrooms brought from the surface. Their mouth openings feature an array of sharp teeth used to attach themselves to their food which they suck dry. They are intensely predated upon by Worm Dragons that can easily scoop them up into their mouths. When endangered, they run extremely fast, although when cornered they are able to use their front claws for defense.

### **Bug Catcher Polep**

A subspecies of Polep that uses its vacuum-like mouth to catch insects and Insectoid Worm Dragons. It is slightly larger than a moss eating Polep, although still very much smaller than a regular Polep. It has stubby front claws that it uses to dig itself into the earth when the toxic rain falls. It has a wider but shorter trunk and long ears. Its eyes are very underdeveloped and prefers to use its many whiskers to orient itself.