>>5396430>>5396438>>5396439>>5396445>Deep beneath the ice sheets, a small Lump Grazer lies in a vegetative state, this underdeveloped ecosystem’s equivalent of sleep. Above, a Flounder Feeder flops with the tide. Under normal circumstances, the Lump Grazer’s lack of vibration would see it survive but the Flounder Feeder has a new adaption: the nose flap. As it passes, the Flounder Feeder catches the faint smell of its prey and just like that, the Lump Grazer’s fate is sealed. The Flounder Feeder’s stomach won’t be empty tonight.The Flounder Feeder has successfully developed a basic sense of smell and a new organ to support it, a narrow hole just over its mouth, protected from rocks by a small, semi-permeable flap that permits the passage of scent. Usually. Occasionally, chunks of meat get stuck in the hole and cause the Flounder Feeder to flop in circles trying to catch nonexistent prey but this doesn’t wipe out a significant percentage of the population. Almost more important than more easily catching prey is smelling predators, which the Flounder Feeder starts to recognize as not-prey and tries to flop away from. This isn’t infallible and mistakes are made but many less Flounder Feeders are diving into rockslides and picking fights with Double Mouthers than their ancestors. This in combination with sensing clouds of genetic material as “prey” have caused their population to grow significantly. Now, they are a major contender with the Shuffler in terms of efficiency.
>1/2 