Reefback

Reefback Leviathan

This vast lifeform is in excess of 30m long and has been designated leviathan class. Fortunately it feeds exclusively on plankton-like lifeforms in the water. 1. Chitinous Shell: Most of the lifeform's topside and some of its underside is protected by a thick, layered exoskeleton. This suggests an evolutionary path quite different from other organisms on 4546B, most of which are vertebrate in nature. The reefback species has likely been able to grow far larger than other herbivores because anything large enough to break through its shell has long since gone extinct. 2. Enzyme Pods: Similar in appearance to the algae glands of the gasopod, these organs on the reefback's underside serve some unknown purpose in its digestive system, and are capable of expelling small quantities of stomach enzymes into the surrounding waters. 3. Local Microcosm: An array of different barnacle and plant species grow on the reefback's shell, thrusting their roots into ancient scars in the chitin, and taking advantage of their mobility to avoid predation. Nonetheless reefbacks will often be pursued by the faster, hungrier herbivores, and thus this leviathan species is a mobile microcosm worthy of years of study in itself. 4. Lifecycle: Reefbacks's lifespans likely extend through many centuries, should they survive their initial growth cycle. For the first few decades their smaller size would make them vulnerable to carnivorous leviathans. Sociable, seen traveling in small pods and communicating by an echoing call, behavior is consistent with low-level sentience. Assessment: Harbors plants, small fish and metal-rich barnacles