Kelp Sentry

Sem Oris ( "Salad Mouthed" )

Physical Biometrics:

Length: 3.2 feet long body length / 98cm

Weight / Mass: ~ 14 pounds / 6.35 kg

Distribution and Environment:

Free swimming pelagic, open ocean swimming. Often found near the surface, but usually is also spotted in kelp forests.

Description:

They spend their entire lives free swimming in the open ocean, having now been less adapted for movement across the ocean floor. They are extremely adept swimmers, and takes up the role of most standard fish. They can form large groups, and often comes up near the surface to filter feed occassionally. Usually they latch onto a large piece of kelp and began using their arrangement of cuttlery to feed.

They primarily use their caridoid escape response to rapidly flick and swim backwards, but is also capable of quickly swimming forwards when needed.

They serve as one of the more typical herbivores, though similarly they arent entirely dependent on vegetation. If given the chance theyd devour any dead or alive animals for source of protein.

Loose intraspecific combat occurs, and they have spiked rostrums as well as eye guards ofr this purpose. Oftentimes however, there seems to be enough resources for everyone to enjoy  . . . usually.

Evolution / Anatomy:

The Sentry possesses a heavily armored carapace, rudimentary countershading colors are present, blue on the top to blend in with the waters when viewed from above, and duller colors on the underside to blend in with the shadow cast when viewed from below. 

Although it doesn't appear so, they have partially movable eyestalks to spot possible threats from a greater range. 

Their legs have overlapping keeled spines to protect its lateral flank, to make it difficult to swallow. Its legs are finely bristled, to catch detritus or any other floating marine particles. These were repurposed for these features likely because its legs were no longer fully adapted for benthic locomotion.

Pleopods are enlarged and extremely robust and adapted for open water movement. 

1st chelipeds are finely tuned for cutting, whilst the 2nd chelipeds is slightly worse at cutting but better at tearing and holding larger pieces.Their 2nd pair of antennae are prehensile and strongly modified for grasping. Sentries use these to tether themselves to kelp stalks.

Their 3rd maxillipeds are visually noticeable and are very powerful, and is one of the limbs they use for defense.

 They usually use a sequence of moving biomass from outer larger limbs before transferring them to smaller limbs for more precise cutting, 2nd chelipeds remove a large piece ---- > 1st chelipeds cut --- > 3rd maxillipeds chew ---> 1st & 2nd maxillipeds finely cut it, --- > mandibles then grind and chew into finer particles.

Known Descendants: 

( N / A, coming soon )