>>5400748What’s worse, the Latcher has made a powerful adaptation of its own. Previously a petty nuisance limited to the slowest Lump Grazers, natural selection has seen their eggs, too small to sense by vibration, achieve buoyancy and attach themselves to almost every creature in the narrow band ecosystem. Once these hatch, the Latchers penetrate the flesh beneath, digging themselves in, and leech nutrients from the early, heartless, open circulatory system beneath. Each Latcher has a very small impact, if any at all, but there are many eggs and each Latcher is prone to lay a dozen of its own eggs if it can survive.
This has resulted in a parasite-filled ecosystem. One the Flounder Feeders, with the durability of their shells and relatively streamlined digestive systems, are suffering little from. Against what would’ve been a near-extinction event if they were less protected, in combination with earlier radiation, their population has only been reduced by half. They’re in a vulnerable state but far from extinction. Much more worrying is the Latcher’s effect on the Lump Grazer population. Now that they’re infested by nutrient-leeching parasites on top of their several predators, the Lump Grazers have declined and with them, every predator has felt hunger pangs. For countless generations, the Lump Grazers have gotten by on simply requiring very little and reproducing rapidly, but under such extreme selection pressures, an adaptation is inevitable. The Ripple Trackers are better off than unshelled organisms but their agility and senses mean nothing to the eggs, which readily, if slowly, crack their exteriors. Their already massive population and sheer efficiency ensures their continued survival but it is much less comfortable than before.
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