Sleeping Fish

In the depths of the ocean a sleeping fish hunts out some detritus that may have fallen from above. [Creature design by Ding Dong]

Basic Information

Anatomy

Dryba hypnokamala (the sleeping fish) have adapted their ancestral fins into walking limbs on most of the segments of their body. Their adorned head is covered in large flat armored plates, with spiked protrusions on the dorsal margin and the posteroventral corners projecting posterolaterally, for defense. They use hardened points on the ventral surface of the anterior portion of the first tagma to break the hard shells of prey and carcasses by repeatedly slamming their heads against them and disturbing sediment much like a hoe, once prey is reasonably "chewed" they can consume the meal through the leech like mouth on the underside of their head. Sleeping fish species are also sexually dymorphic with the last tagma of their body having claspers adapted from ancestral fins in males, they do not have any parental instinct and females will bury and abandon their eggs upon fertilization. Small simple brains are present in the anterior most tagma of both species. Their gills remain quite basal, having a small frill of external gills extending from the back of each segment. Due to their diet including fractal trees, which contain copper, and some iron and copper shelled filter feeders in the depths, they have hardened their armor with these elements. The "teeth" on their head plate are brown due to rusting as large deposits of these metals build up on them strengthening them. to combat these harder prey, their heads have grown larger and wider giving space for larger neck muscles. The heavier weight caused by their stronger armor, their legs have become stronger, and more compressed built for mainly just pushing the body across the sea floor as they have lost free swimming capabilities.

Genetics and Reproduction

During mating, females with release strong scents from their cloaca, attracting males and when releasing eggs they release all of them in a large sac before burying them in the sediment. Sometimes these sacs can retain the scent and other Sleeping Fish may cannibalize the eggs.

Ecology and Habitats

Sleeping fish live on the abyssal plane and near hydrothermal vents.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Sleeping fish feed on radotrophs near hydrothermal vents, and will opportunisticlly feed on any smaller creatures it comes across, as well as larger chunks of marine snow.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Chemo receptors are positioned on the front edge of the underside of their head and around their mouth. Due to the lack of light they have lost functional eyes in favor of pressure sensors acting like a sense of long range touch, manifesting as large bumps on the tops of their head plate.

EXTINCT

Genetic Ancestor(s)