Sea Vortex

Artwork

Weight:
195,000lbs

The **Sea Vortex** (*Piscommedos abyssus*) is an original species created and designed by TheAgent41. The Sea Vortex inhabits the *The Hole* universe, an original universe created by TheAgent41.

## Appearance and Anatomy

The sea vortex is a large carnivorous pisciform closely related to the marleyfish, although the differences between them are drastic. The sea vortex is among the largest known Achlysian lifeforms, rivaling Earth's blue whale in size at 80 feet in length and almost 100 tons in weight. Its body is covered in grayish-blue skin with a rough sandpaper-like texture. This is thought to have evolved to deter parasites, as the sea vortex itself is too large, slow, and lumbering to detach them itself. The body also employs counter-shading, meaning that the underbelly is a lighter color to blend in with light coming from above (when viewed from below) while the back is darker to blend in with the dark ocean depths (when viewed from above). This is thought to be a remnant from when visual sight was dominant in Achlys.

The sea vortex's most distinguishing feature is its enormous mouth, which can be between 30 and 35 feet in diameter, making it one of the largest mouths in the known multiverse. Despite its monumental mouth, the sea vortex's mouth cavity tapers to an esophagus no larger than a typical Volkswagen beetle. On each side of the mouth is a trio of infrared pits capable of sensing the body heat of other organisms. However, the sense relied upon most often by the sea vortex is electroreception, the ability to detect electrical currents given off by moving organisms. This sense is given to it by the hundreds of electroreceptive organs in its trailing head tentacles, similar to the ampullae of Lorenzini common in Earth sharks. This sense allows it to create a three-dimensional map of its surroundings.

Below the heat pits on either side of the vortex's mouth are a group of a six bioluminescent organs (for a total of twelve). These organs are used as lures, much like the lures of Earth anglerfish. While the actual light is useless on prey with no visual sight, these organs produce a great deal of heat. Combined with the sea vortex's ability to slow its metabolism considerably so as to conceal its own body heat, the vortex is a master of trickery despite its gargantuan size. The earliest interaction with a sea vortex by human biologists involved a remotely piloted submersible that encountered a group of twelve lights advancing upward from the depths only for the submersible's headlight to illuminate the esophagus of the approaching vortex.

Due to energy requirements of constant siphon propulsion and the vortex's enormous bulk, the sea vortex usually prefers to drift aimlessly through the ocean while occasionally giving itself a much-needed push. It steers itself using its enormous paddle-like flippers. The sea vortex propels itself through the ocean depths via a large muscular siphon situated on its rear.

## Ecology

### Behavior and Intelligence

The sea vortex is almost exclusively a solitary creature. Due to the size and energy requirements of a single individual, the population size is much lower than those of other organisms even while ignoring the seemingly infinite surface area of Achlys. It has been estimated that there are on average a maximum of two or three vortices for every 20 square miles.

The sea vortex is a very slow creature due to its enormous size. To avoid wasting too much energy with extraneous movement, sea vortices prefer to aimlessly drift through the pitch-black ocean abyss rather than constantly use their siphons for locomotion. To make up for their slow movement, sea vortices, like their relatives the marleyfish, have the ability to vacuum up organisms in front of them, although the inhalation abilities of the vortex are obviously much stronger.

### Diet

The extreme size of the sea vortex allows it to be a largely indiscriminate feeder. Anything and everything in front of its gaping mouth is fair game as a meal as the vortex aimlessly drifts through the water. Shallow water-dwelling species are obviously rare to find in a vortex's stomach, although there have been several instances of this being the case due to the normally photic zone creatures moving into deeper waters. As stated previously, numerous unmanned submersibles have been lost to vortices that have inhaled them.

### Reproduction

Due to the obvious difficulties with finding a mate in the pitch black ocean (combined with the extremely low population density), sea vortices have had to adopt a solution to this problem. While other species such as the giant starfloat have combatted this issue by being broadcast spawners and having long lifespans, sea vortices have instead adapted parthenogenesis, the ability to asexually produce genetically identical offspring. Rather than waste energy searching the near-endless oceans of Achlys for a mate, sea vortices instead are capable of producing offspring without needing to be impregnated by another individual.

Newborn vortices are incredibly large infants, measuring at least seven feet in length and weighing upwards of 800 pounds. As stated above, they are actually genetic clones of their parent with only minor differences due to severely reduced mutation rates. This would leave the total population highly susceptible to disease, but the low population density (and thus the fact that most vortices rarely if ever meet another member of their species) help to prevent genetic bottlenecking.

## Trivia

* The scientific name *Piscommedos abyssus* loosely translates from Latin as "abyssal fish glutton".

## Gallery

Artwork