ASTROVITAE ISSUE 01

CAPTIVATINGWORLDS | THECOTTONCROWNMANGROVE
PINK FISHERMAN:
GLITTERING SANDSNOUT
Glittering Sandsnouts are small creatures,
10 to 20 centimeters long, residing in
Cottoncrown mangroves. They live in
small locks, feeding on a wide variety of
aquatic creatures, catching them from the
water or digging them out of the sand with
their many-jawed mouth. This unique jaw
structure is characteristic of all animals on
Peralis C that have a skeleton and consists
of an articulated structure with several
throats located between each joint of the
mouths. All these pharynxes combine into
one inside the body forming one digestive
tract. Glittering Sandsnouts also stand out
for their unique eye structure reminiscent
of a tape or a ski mask; in such eyes there
are several pupils at once which gives
them an almost 360-degree vision.
Another noticeable inhabitant of
Cottoncrown mangroves is the Pink
Fisherman, undoubtably the strangest
creature of the bunch. This six-legged
organism hides among the roots and is
adorned with bright pink and yellow
patterns. It spends most of its days silently
waiting with a long proboscis deployed in
the water waiting for potential prey. Due
to its rarity, not much is known about its
ecology and reproduction, but extended
monitoring programmes are planned to
ind out more about this elusive critter and
various other variants that were reported.
ROOTSTAR:
Rootstars are starish-like organisms with
six eyes, one at the base of each of its six
central arms. Often found on
Cottoncrown roots, they graze on exudates
deposited on the surface by the
Cottoncrown. Interestingly, research
has shown that they deposit a different
substance in place of the exudates which
are then absorbed by the Cottoncrown
again. It seems they form a mutualistic
relationship in which they both provide
each other with nutrients. Another
interesting observation is that they are
usually found in small groups on large
roots, with none to be found on smaller
roots suggesting the Cottoncrown can
control where its exudates are deposited.
26 ASTROVITAE | APRIL2021 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM 27