Rad Basket

by Squiddum

A Rad Basket grows within a Rad Reef, symbioting with several Radio Domes.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The organism grows from a wide base. At the edges of the base roots grow up into the water column, the net like roots intertwine and form a protective basket that is covered in a porous silicate shell which is also used to filter minerals from the water. The basket commonly symbiotes with Radio Friends to make it better at defending the organism. There is a long main stalk within the basket emerging from the base with an internal stomach, protruding from inside the stalk is the internal stomach stem which has an umbrellal filament around the exit of the stalk. When prey enters the trap the umbrellal filament clamps down sealing the prey in the stomach. The stomach is filled with an acidic saline fluid which is heavier than the water around it, digesting whatever enters. Around the stem oxystems grow. Oxystems are specialized external organs used by the organism to absorb oxygen from the water. This superior gas exchange system in comparison to its ancestor is what has allowed it to grow so large. The stem has a copper rod going through it to give the organism support.

Genetics and Reproduction

Rad Baskets release larva from the top of the main stalk. Larva are asexually produced under the epidermis.

Growth Rate & Stages

Rad Basket larvae flatten themselves against rocks near radiation sources. They slowly grow the base wider and wider before eventually forming the stalk, the stalk fills with its acid simultaneously as it develops its stem and umbrellal filament around the whip of the larvae which becomes straight and stiff. At the same time the root net forms the protective basket. It is only a few feet in size at this point, and will slowly grow larger and larger with time. The older a Rad Basket is, the more complex it's protective root basket.

Ecology and Habitats

It lives around the outer area of hydrothermal vents and is an important aspect of the rad reefs, feeding on feather bushes, glow baskets, and chemoglobes most often.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Feeds on radiation and is an ambush predator on most waterborne organisms. Inside the stomach is a pool of briny water with a low amount of acid. When a creature is forced inside the salt of the brine causes them to enter a state of paralysis, their bodies are then slowly digested by the acid.

Additional Information

Average Intelligence

Similar intelligence to that of a jellyfish.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Electrosensors on the stem allow it to detect the movement of other organisms entering its trap.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

Rad Baskets lives in symbiosis with Radio Domes and Radio Friends forming Oceanic Radio Networks, where the roots of Radio Domes and Radio Friends enter the pores on the silicate shell of the basket and fuse with the Rad Basket flesh, forming fast interconnected systems of nutrient gathering and exchange across multiple hydrothermal vents and vent clusters. Most of its body is covered in a protective sheath of Radio Friends.

Created By
Prehistoric Game Cartridge
Genetic Ancestor
Radio Dome

Scientific Name

Aktinovoliménivoúrtsa kapéloompréla

Origin/Ancestry

Radiotropha

Lifespan

400 Years

Average Height

5 meters

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Light Tan.