Deviation Actions
Description
Aquasimia (sea monkeys)
Diversity: 1100
These are the more basal forms, living in the underwater forests of coral like tardigrades, and home to a significant amount of diversity. They are the most basal marine forms, mostly ‘arboreal’ in nature, but with some bottom dwellers and free swimmers as well. The group are cosmopolitan unlike their terrestrial relatives. They feed on a variety of different things depending on what they are specialised to, and can live in many different habitats surprisingly enough. There are even a couple of species living around hydrothermal vents, though these are exceptionally different to their forms elsewhere. The smallest species is the Patagonian reed-ripper, a small 10cm long creature resembling a miniature version of the ancient aquatic sloths. The largest species is the Congo-sea-mounter, a 3m long giant.
A list of species include:
A) Caribbean Sea Monkey: the first species encountered in the expeditions. A fairly common creature throughout Carribean cessiliform forests. Measures about 90cm long overall and weighs 4kg.
B) Patagonian reed-ripper: a small reed eating species feeding on highly derived algae. Lives in groups and is one of the most sociable of all the quasignavids. 10cm in length and weighing less than 100g.
C) Arctic sea monkey: a furry creature, this animal has hairs around it as well as blubber, helping insulate it from cold waters. Measures about 1.3m long and weighs 14kg.
D) Sea ape: an omnivorous giant, this is the second largest species that lives around the Mediterranean and bears an uncanny resemblance to apes. It measures about 2.2m long and weighs about 45kg.
E) Congo Sea-mounter: a river dwelling creature, this is the largest species and lives off fallen fruit from the rivers, while managing to dodge the deadly predators by the riverside.3m long and weighs up to 90kg.
F) Deep-walker: found around hydrothermal vents, this fascinating offshoot is both basal and extremely derived, living off the bizarre cessile creatures around the vents. Measures about 70cm long without the rods and weighs 3kg.
G) Spawn O’ ice: these are a remarkable intermediary form which has a semi-terrestrial lifestyle similar to a penguin, though still spawning in the cold Antarctic waters. Measures about 60cm tall, 1m long and weighs about 5kg.
Predators:
In this way, the group are mostly small creatures with a limited amount of diversity, thus they are frequently prey for larger plesicthyds or in some areas, aquatic ramfastomids. Predatory species tend to be mesopredatory in form and so become victims to more efficient ones regularly.
