The Bwoto

The Bwoto is an extremely large marsh system spanning from northern France to western Russia. It contains hundreds of species of grasses, mosses, lichens, and sundews. It is one of the most productive ecosystems in the Calidocene and nutrients are constantly recycled, which prevents a carbon sink from forming.

Bloatus

Bloatuses (vesicafoliumacae) are a family of marsh plant found throughout the Bwoto as well as other freshwater bodies in Europe. They can grow in near nutrient depleted waters in shallow depths. They reproduce via rhizome as well as flowers.

The flowers are large and have a unique ability, they can thermoregulate. The flowers can either warm themselves up or cool themselves down depending on the weather so that their pollinators come to them to rest. They thermoregulate through the use of their leaves. The leaves store heat and cold air depending on the situation. The leaves are small flat air bladders full of oxygen with small ports of access in the bottom. The ports are so that fish can come to the leaves for oxygen instead of the dangerous surface and hopefully release their precious waste onto the roots. 

Squatmoths

Squatmoths (Tedlevineus) are a small genus of moth descended from the African Death's Head Hawk Moth. They measure in at around a half an inch. They are striped with bright yellow and black and the iconic skull pattern being moved to the top of the head. 

Squatmoths fit right in with european honeybees, which survived into the calidocene. They secrete pheromones that are eerily similar to that of the bees. When the bees are too busy working, the moths sneak into the hive and squat until they get figured out. The feed on honey while they do practically nothing all day. Once they think the schtick is getting old, they fly off and move to another hive. 

They mate inside of the hive and locate each other by squeaking, which automatically gives them away and forces them to leave. The females lay their eggs on the undersides of fragrant plants like nightshades and verbena. The caterpillars are small and spiky. They devour leaves and then develop into hanging chrysalises.

Boglims

Boglims (boglimus saundersi) are a monospecific genus of wetland snake found in the southern Bwoto. They are descended from the balkan whip snake. The underside is a bright green and the top side is black. They measure in at about 2 feet long.

They slither along the bottom of the Bwoto searching for food and shelter. They can hold their breath for about 15 minutes straight. Nostrils are wide to quickly suck in more air when they surface. Their main prey consists of dead animals that sink to the bottom and don't decompose fast enough. Eating these animals prevents a carbon sink from forming within the Bwoto.

Koldok

Koldoks (hastalcedo) are a genus of kingfisher that lives in deeper parts of the bwoto. Some have even colonized the saltree forests of Britain. They measure in at a foot in length with a two foot wingspan. The underside is a light blue and the rest is a bright cyan. 

Their beak is extremely sharp, which aids them considering their hunting style. They fly over a deep open spot in the water and dive onto any visible fish. The beak is closed tight and any fish caught by the koldok is skewered. Oily feathers prevent them from getting wet, so they fly out and perch on the nearest tree or rock to eat.