Ventgarden

The **Ventgarden** is a leviathan class fauna species. There are currently two Ventgardens in game, both found in the Tree Spires. It is the adult form of the Juvenile Ventgarden.

The Ventgarden's main body is round and has a petal-like set of blue and yellow patterned frills on top of it. The bottom of the body seems to have an opening that is sealed shut by a cone-shaped set of flaps when swimming and opens when the organism is above a Hydrothermal Vent. The Ventgarden's body also resembles the top of a mushroom. From the base of the body six long ciliated tentacles extend downwards to red branching tips. Between each pair of tentacles is a glowing yellow circle, the nature of which are unknown, possibly being eyes.

On the top of the body, a huge hollow and transparent bell is attached. In the center of the body within the bell, a large red structure resembling seaweed can be seen. Directly above this and attached to the top of the bell is a large cone-shaped structure that emits a bright cyan glow at night.

From the base of the bell, six long branches protrude and curve upwards, each with multiple "plateaus" attached which provide surfaces for flora to grow within the bell.

The adult Ventgardens are only seen stationary over Hydrothermal Vents with their tentacles anchoring them in place. It stays over the vent, allowing hot water enriched with nutrients to flow into the bell through an opening in the bottom of the body.

When sitting over a Hydrothermal Vent, an opening on the underside of the body is opened and the player can swim inside the body through this opening.

The Ventgarden expels excess fluid through its top vent. The excess fluid expelled is able to push the player 15 meters upwards.

## Data Bank Entry

The Vent Garden is a stationary leviathan that anchors itself above thermal vents and houses aquatic flora inside its bell-shaped interior.

Anchoring Tentacles: Six tentacles anchor the Vent Garden to the seafloor around vents. Each tentacle is capped by a set of thick curved hooks that grow downwards, keeping the Vent Garden firmly in place.

Transparent bell: The hollow bell of the Vent Garden has a narrow opening large enough to accommodate human entry. The Vent Garden feeds on thermophilic bacteria and other microorganisms that spew from the vent below. The top of the bell also has an opening that continuously releases water to maintain a consistent internal pressure.

Symbiotic relationship: The bell houses six branching platforms that resemble coral. These platforms contain aquatic flora that remain safe from foraging herbivorous fish. In turn, the flora absorb and synthesize some of the heavy metals and gases emitted by the vents below.

Assessment: Docile, nutrient rich, harbors flora.

The Ventgarden appears very similar in appearance to the siphonophore, the Portuguese man o' war which like the Ventgarden is also a colonial organism.

The Ventgarden bears a striking resemblance to a type of underwater greenhouse known as "Nemo's Garden". It is possible it was based on this.

* The Ventgarden and the Spiral Plant have an inter-species mutualistic relationship, one of only four such relationships observed so far on Planet 4546B. The other three are between the Crabsnake and the Jellyshroom, the Crashfish and the Sulfur Plant, and the Titan Holefish and the Symbiote.
* It is the largest living leviathan in Sector Zero.
* Redwort, Writhing Weed and Blue Palms can be seen growing within the bell in the concept art. The in game Ventgarden has Redwort Relatives, Bulb Stalk Plants, and Spiral Plants growing in it.