Acanthaskulus

Animal Genus, part of the Veroininae Sub-Family, of the Kapnositdae Family and the Prochordata Order, it includes:

**Acanthaskulus asquama**
Status: NT
Temporal Range: R.140 - Present (Gammavian Stage of the Atroxian)
Habitat: Temperate Shallows, Temperate Upper Ocean
Distribution: Northern Hemisphere
Niche: Benthic Filter-Feeder
Size: 6.5cm (length)
Nutritional Worth:
Predecessor: Pneumachasminia linibranchius
Classification: Veroininae (sf), Kapnostidae (f), Polybranchomorpha (o), Eocardea (c), Bilateria (p)
Perception: Has an accurate sense of smell over 10s of metres.
Latest Mutations: Lose Scales
Info: With silica spines covering its body similar to an Earth urchin, it has no need for its scales, which it has lost. It is a invicible wanderer of the northern temperate water, filtering passing food.
Intelligence / Behaviour: Processes information and responds based on fixed behaviours. It knows to eat and avoid being harmed.
External Features: It has a cylindrical body with grey pigmentation covered in siliceous spicules. A thin skin layer dotted with olfactory receptors covers the body. It has a mouth.
Internal Features: Each cell has osmolytes. Four gill slits, containing gill rakers, sit each side of the head along with gill frills. Muscles on each side are attached to the body wall and the cartilage vertebrae. The gastrointestinal tract from the mouth, starting with the pharynx, stomach with digestive juices followed by intestines leading to the anus. A brain encased in the head connects to two nerve cords which branch into a network of nerves. It hosts both male and female gonads. The hemacoel cavity, open circulatory system has violet blood containing hemerythrin and anti-freeze proteins but there are blood vessels pumping to muscles only a dorsal vessel pumps blood to the head. Protonephridia, connected to hemacoel, expels waste through pores.
Discoverer: StealthStyle

#### **Detailed Info:**

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Status: NT
Habitat: Temperate Shallows, Temperate Upper Ocean
Distribution: Northern Hemisphere
Niche: Benthic Filter-Feeder
Size: 6.5cm (length)
Nutritional Worth: (9.6 x 6.5 =) 62NP
Food / Oxygen Requirement: 30NP / 50NP
Physical Stats: Speed = 1, Stamina = 2.5, Inflexibility = 1, Strength = 1.5, Support = 1, Defence = 1.5, UV Resistance = Moderate, Filtration = 2
Systemic Stats: Osmoregulation = 1 (quite high salinity), Respiration = 2 (cutaneous respiration, buccal pumping), Digestion = 2 (meat), Circulation = 1, Excretion = 1, Immune System = 1, Coordination = 1, Reflexes = 1.
Abilities: Permeable Skin. Buccal Pumping.
Perception: Blurry Sight. Detects smells up to ten metres away.
Locomotion Type: Spine Walking.
Reproduction: Sexual, Ovuliparity (External Fertilisation). 1,000 eggs. Hermaphroditism.
Intelligence / Behaviour: Processes information and responds based on fixed behaviours. It knows to eat and avoid being harmed.
External Features: Cylindrical body with grey pigmentation (3NP, +Moderate UV Resistance) covered in siliceous spicules (9NP, +1 Defence, +Spine Walking). Thin skin layer (3NP, +1 Immune System, +1 Respiration, +Permeable Skin) dotted with olfactory receptors (1NP, +1 Smell). A mouth (+1 Filtration).
Internal Features: Four gill slits, contains gill rakers (1NP, +1 Filtration) each side of head (8NP, +1 Respiration) and gill frills (6NP, +1 Respiration). Muscles on each side, attached to body wall (10NP, +1 Speed, +1 Strength, +0.5 Support) and cartilage vertebrae (6NP, +1 Support, +1 Strength, +1 Inflexibility, +0.5 Defence). Gastrointestinal tract from mouth has pharynx (5NP, +1 Digestion, +Buccal Pumping) stomach with digestive juices (4NP, +1 Digestion) followed by intestines (4NP, +1 Digestion) leading to exit. Brain (6NP, +1 Coordination) encased in head connects to one nerve cords which branch into network of nerves (8NP, +1 Reflexes). Male and female gonads (6NP, +Sexual Reproduction, +Hermaphroditism). The hemacoel cavity, open circulatory system (+1 Stamina, +1 Circulation) has violet blood containing hemerythrin and anti-freeze proteins (3NP, +Fluid Freeze Prevention) but there are blood vessels pumping to muscles only (4NP, +0.5 Stamina) a dorsal vessel (5NP, +1 Stamina) pumps blood to the head. Protonephridia (4NP, +1 Excretion, +1 Osmoregulation), connected to hemacoel, expels waste through pores.

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