Creature Posting

Bigfin squids are a group of rarely seen cephalopods with a distinctive morphology. They are placed in the genus Magnapinna and family Magnapinnidae. Although the family was described only from larval, paralarval, and juvenile specimens, numerous video observations of much larger squid with similar morphology are assumed to be adult specimens of the same family. The presumed adult stage of Magnapinna is known only from video observations from submersibles and ROVs; no physical specimens have yet been collected, leaving their exact identity unknown. These individuals and the collected juvenile specimens share the very large fins and the vermiform arm tips with no suckers, but the iconic elongated arm tips are known only from observed individuals. Although it has not been directly confirmed whether these squid are the same as the Magnapinna known from specimens, it is largely accepted that they are members of Magnapinnidae. The specimens in the videos looked very distinct from all previously known squids. Uniquely among cephalopods, the arms and tentacles were of the same length and looked identical (similar to extinct belemnites). The appendages were also held perpendicular to the body, creating the appearance of strange "elbows". Most remarkable was the length of the elastic tentacles, which has been estimated at up to 15–20 times the mantle length. This trait is caused by filament coiling of the tentacles, a trait that is rare among similar species. Estimates based on video evidence put the total length of the largest specimens at 8 m (25 ft) or more, with some estimates up to 12 m (40 ft). Viewing close-ups of the body and head, it is apparent that the fins are extremely large, being proportionately nearly as big as those of bigfin squid larvae. While they do appear similar to the larvae, no specimens or samples of the adults have been taken. While their exact identity is unknown, all of the discovered specimens can be observed to have a brown-orange color body, translucent fins, near-white tentacles, and dark eyes. These species of squids are mainly identifiable by their long thin arms and specific colors. The squid also have a very unique brachial crown that sets them aside from the rest of other families that are known. Little is known about the feeding-behaviour of these squids. Scientists have speculated that the bigfin squid feeds by dragging their arms and tentacles along the seafloor and grabbing edible organisms from the floor. Alternatively, they may simply use a trapping technique, waiting passively for prey such as zooplankton to bump into their arms (see Cephalopod intelligence). The diet of the bigfin squid is unknown. However, cephalopods are known to feed on crustaceans, jellyfish, and even other cephalopods.

The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), often simply known as the bullfrog in Canada and the United States, is a large true frog native to eastern North America. It typically inhabits large permanent water bodies such as swamps, ponds, and lakes. Bullfrogs can also be found in manmade habitats such as pools, koi ponds, canals, ditches and culverts. They prefer warm, slow or stagnant waters with abundant vegetation, but are also found along the shorelines of lakes and banks of streams. The bullfrog gets its name from the sound the male makes during the breeding season, which sounds similar to a bull bellowing. The bullfrog is large and is commonly eaten throughout its range, especially in the southern United States where they are plentiful. The dorsal (upper) surface of the bullfrog has an olive-green basal color, either plain or with mottling and banding of grayish brown. The ventral (under) surface is off-white blotched with yellow or gray. Often, a marked contrast in color is seen between the green upper lip and the pale lower lip. The teeth are tiny and are useful only in grasping. The eyes are prominent with brown irises and horizontal, almond-shaped pupils. The tympana (eardrums) are easily seen just behind the eyes and the dorsolateral folds of skin enclose them. The limbs are blotched or banded with gray. The fore legs are short and sturdy and the hind legs long. The front toes are not webbed, but the back toes have webbing between the digits with the exception of the fourth toe, which is unwebbed. Bullfrogs are sexually dimorphic, with males being smaller than females and having yellow throats. Males have tympana larger than their eyes, whereas the tympana in females are about the same size as the eyes. Bullfrogs measure about 3.6 to 6 in (9 to 15 cm) in snout–to–vent length. They grow fast in the first eight months of life, typically increasing in weight from 5 to 175 g (0.18 to 6.17 oz), and large, mature individuals can weigh up to 500 g (1.1 lb). In some cases bullfrogs have been recorded as attaining 800 g (1.8 lb) and measuring up to 8 in (20 cm) from snout to vent. The American bullfrog is the largest species of true frog in North America. Bullfrogs are ambush predators and will eat almost any animal they can capture and swallow, including worms, insects, crayfish, fishes, other frogs, snakes, small turtles, small mammals and even birds. Animals such as snapping turtles, foxes, herons, and raccoons eat Bullfrogs. Most breeding takes place between April and August. The male grasps the female and externally fertilizes eggs produced by female as she deposits them in water. Clutch size can be up to 12,000 eggs. Females may produce up to three clutches per breeding season. Bullfrogs can live seven to 10 years.

Aquarius remigis, known as the common water strider, is a species of aquatic bug. It was formerly known as Gerris remigis, but the subgenus Aquarius was elevated to generic rank in 1990 on the basis of phylogenetic analysis. Aquarius remigis is found throughout North America, but is most prevalent in the mid-west of the United States. Aquarius remigis grows slightly longer than . 5 inches, and is dark brown to black in colour. It has a sharp rostrum that it uses to pierce the body of its prey and suck out the insides. They normally continue to move to avoid being eaten by predators. It has good vision, and can row quickly over the surface of the water. It uses its front legs to seize its prey. During breeding season, this species can communicate with potential mates by sending ripples over on the surface of the water. This predatory species feeds on mosquito larvae living under the surface, and dead insects on the surface, and other insects that accidentally land on the water. This bug is can eaten by any predator bigger than it, frogs, birds, and even fish prey on these insects.

The giant oarfish (Regalecus glesne) is a species of oarfish of the family Regalecidae. It is an oceanodromous species with a worldwide distribution, excluding polar regions. Other common names include Pacific oarfish, king of herrings, ribbonfish, and streamer fish. R. glesne is the world's longest ray-finned fish. The long, flat, tapering body is reflective silver with a dorsal fin running the length of it that it uses to swim and turn with. Its abrupt, slightly concave profile is set with a toothless mouth ideal for filtering krill and crustaceans out of the water. This species is the world's longest bony fish, reaching a record length of 17 m (56 ft). It is commonly measured to 3 m (9.8 ft) in total length. An oceanic species, the oarfish is found living at great depths to 3,280 feet (1,000 m) but more typically to depths of 656 feet (200 m). It is occasionally found cast upon beaches after storms or near the surface when injured or dying. Oarfish feed on plankton, crustaceans, and squid by straining them from the water column using specially evolved gill rakes located in the mouth. They orient themselves vertically within the water column which is theorized to allow them to spot the silhouettes of prey items. Then they use their protrusible mouths to suck in prey items including plankton, squid, fish and euphausiid crustaceans which are then strained out of the water by the gill rakers. There is some speculation that they may also steal food items from siphonophores. Due to its significant size, larger fish including sharks are the primary potential predators of the oarfish. Oarfishes, are oviparous broadcast spawners and spawn in warm waters between July and December. After fertilization its large eggs pelagic eggs (2-4 mm) remain near the ocean’s surface until hatching after about three weeks. The resulting larvae have the appearance of miniature adults and feed on plankton until they mature.

Black seadevils are small, deepsea lophiiform fishes of the family Melanocetidae. The five known species are all within the genus Melanocetus. They are found in tropical to temperate waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, with one species known only from the Ross Sea. One of several anglerfish families, black seadevils are named for their baleful appearance and typically pitch black skin. Black seadevils are characterised by a gelatinous, mostly scaleless, globose body, a large head, and generous complement of menacingly large, sharp, glassy, fang-like teeth lining the jaws of a cavernous, oblique mouth. These teeth are depressible and present only in females. Some species have a scattering of epidermal spinules on the body, and the scales (when present) are conical, hollow, and translucent. Like other anglerfishes, black seadevils possess an illicium and esca; the former being a modified dorsal spine—the "fishing rod"—and the latter being the bulbous, bioluminescent "fishing lure". The esca is simple in black seadevils (with either a conical terminus or anterior and posterior ridges in some species), and both it and the illicium are free of denticles. The bioluminescence is produced by symbiotic bacteria; these bacteria are thought to enter the esca via an external duct (in at least two species, the esca is not luminous until this duct develops, suggesting the bacteria originate from the surrounding seawater). The bacteria, belonging to the family Vibrionaceae, are apparently different in each anglerfish species; the bacteria have yet to be cultured in vitro. The eyes of black seadevils are small; the pupil is larger than the lens, leaving an aphakic space. Common among deepsea anglerfish is the strong sexual dimorphism in melanocetids: while females may reach a length of 18 cm (7 in) or more, males remain under 3 cm (1 in). Aside from jaw teeth, males also lack lures. Pelvic fins are absent in both sexes. All fins are rounded with slightly incised membranes; the pectoral fins are small. The single dorsal fin is positioned far back from the head, larger than and above the retrorse anal fin. Females have large, highly distensible stomachs which give the ventral region a flabby appearance. In life, black seadevils are a dark brown to black. The skin is extremely soft and easily abraded during collection or even by simple handling. The females use their bioluminescent "fishing poles" to lure both conspecifics and prey, which include crustaceans and small fish such as lanternfish and bristlemouths; the seadevils' highly distensible stomachs also allow them to swallow prey larger than themselves, which is an important adaptation to life in the lean depths. In contrast with males, females are poor swimmers and spend most of their time motionless, waiting for something to approach their lures. Predators of black seadevils are not well known, but include lancetfish. Black seadevils Angler fish can live up to 10-15 years. Black seadevils are less than a foot long but females can weigh up to 70 lbs.

Kiwa hirsuta is an eyeless crustacean discovered in 2005 in the South Pacific Ocean. This decapod, which is approximately 15 cm long, is notable for the quantity of silky blond setae covering its pereiopods. Its discoverers dubbed it the "yeti lobster" or "yeti crab". The Yeti Crab can grow to be 5 or 6 inches long, and can weigh anywhere from 2 to ~5 pounds. Depths away from the furry legend of the Himalayas, the Yeti crab is a crustacean that dwells in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, at depths of thousands of feet. The crustaceans were found near the Pacific-Antarctic ridge, south of Easter Island, along hydrothermal vents. The bristles that cover the crab's claws and body are coated in gardens of symbiotic bacteria, which derive energy from the inorganic gases of the seeps. The crab eats the bacteria, using comb-like mouthparts to harvest them from its bristles. The yeti crab does not seem to have many predators in its natural environment; it's thought that some deep-sea octopuses and fish may find them quite edible. Unlike many other crustaceans, the females of this species carry their eggs in a specialized brooding structure on their abdomen. The eggs are attached to setae, and the female cares for them until they hatch into larvae. This method of parental care is distinctive among deep-sea organisms. This crab has is suspected to have an average lifespan of around 10-20 years. Since this species was discovered so recently research is still ongoing and we don't really know all that much about this wonderful creature.

The Greenland shark, (Somniosus microcephalus) also known as the gurry shark or grey shark, is a large shark of the family Somniosidae, closely related to the Pacific and southern sleeper sharks. This large, heavy-set shark grows to an average 8-14 feet long but can get to be 24 feet. It has a short, rounded snout, small eyes, and relatively small dorsal fins. Although it is an apex predator, it is a slow swimmer, and likely ambushes its prey and scavenges for carrion. The largest fish in the Arctic Ocean—and the only shark found there year-round—the Greenland shark also inhabits the North Atlantic and Russian high Arctic. Infrequently observed at the surface, it can live in waters 7,200 feet deep and between 28.4 to 44.6 Fahrenheit (minus 2 to 7 degrees Celsius). The Greenland shark consumes capelin, char, halibut, herring, lumpfish and salmon among other fishes. It also feeds upon marine mammals such as seals, sea lions and cetaceans. It swims at 1.22 km/h (0.76 mph), with its fastest cruising speed only reaching 2.6 km/h (1.6 mph). Because this top speed is a fraction of that of a typical seal in their diet, biologists are uncertain how the sharks are able to prey on the seals. There are no known natural predators of the mature Greenland shark, which is most likely due to its massive size. Greenland sharks are born alive (a process known as ovoviviparity) after an estimated gestation period of 8–18 years. About ten pups per litter is normal, each initially measuring some 38–42 cm (15–16+1⁄2 in) in length. Within a Greenland shark's uterus, villi serve a key function in supplying oxygen to embryos. Greenland sharks have a life expectancy of at least 272 years and could reach 392, give or take about 120 years. What's more, these slow-growing creatures don't reach reproductive age until around 150 years old. The oldest Greenland Shark found is estimated to be around 400 years old.

Description

The spycrab (Indicator Lux Brachyura) stands as a truly exceptional creature within the virtual ecosystem of "Team Fortress 2." Evolving under the peculiar constraints of a simulated world, this species possesses an intriguing ability to mimic the appearance and movement patterns of the spy character, not unlike the phenomena observed in real-world mimicry among animals.

The spycrab's body structure displays distinct adaptions that allow it to imitate the appearance of the spy. With its flexible exoskeleton, it can contort and modify its shape, altering its limbs to resemble those of the spy, reminding the structure of a crab. The species' coloration can also shift, imitating the hues and textures of the various members of the BLU/RED foundation it mimics, thus rendering it almost indistinguishable from real people.

We also analyzed various spycrabs and found out that many of them are half-blind, which explains why they often bump into things.

While not an official denizen of this virtual landscape, the spycrab has nonetheless become a captivating enigma, not only within the player community but also our conservancy group. The Spy Crab embodies a blend of whimsy and camaraderie that defies the conventional environment of the game.

Habitat

The spycrabs, although quite rare, have been seen around every map but ctf_2fort is their most inhabited location. The spycrabs go there despite the amount of friendly-hungry tryhards located there waiting for prey.

We are still researching and looking for natural habitats of spycrabs, so that we can continue working to preserve this endangered species.

Behavior

Spycrabs are extremely friendly and there's never been an episode of one of them attacking or defending themselves from predators/people, which also explains why spycrabs are an easy prey for tryhards and Scunts. It's common for spycrabs to move around in groups, since it's important for them to reproduce. When many Spycrabs groups together, they will form great lines and march to another part of the map. These migrations are quite dangerous, as a tryhard could come out at any moment and start firing at them, this is why we are fighting to prevent this.

Spycrabs have evolved to the point that they developed into using a special watch called "The Dead Ringer". When Spycrabs are being attacked and have reached a critical health point, thanks to the Dead Ringer, They will fake their death and leave a fake body while returning to a safer position.

Box spycrab

Box spies are a subspecies of the Spycrab similar to hermit crabs. They will use the taunt Box Trot and slowly move around, stopping whenever someone turns their way. While Box spies have a community themselves, lesser developed box spies will usually use both spycrab and Box Trot together.

Source: https://tf2-friendlies.fandom.com/wiki/The_Spycrab

Idiacanthus atlanticus, the black dragonfish, is a barbeled dragonfish of the family Stomiidae, found circumglobally in southern subtropical and temperate oceans between latitudes 25°S and 60°S, at depths down to 2,000 metres. The Black Dragonfishes are long, slender fishes that are sexually dimorphic. The image shows a female with its small eyes, chin barbel, and long fang-like teeth. The male is much smaller. It lacks teeth, lacks the chin barbel, has a non-functional gut, and is dark brown rather than black. The large teeth of the dragonfish help it to grab its prey as it hunts in the dark waters of the deep sea. It will feed on small fish and crustaceans as well as anything else it can find. The black dragonfish faces danger from the red flounder fish that is found on the ocean floor. Because they live in extremely deep waters, very little is known about the mating habits of the dragonfish. It is believed that they are external spawners, meaning that the female releases eggs into the water to be fertilized by the male. The eggs then float to the surface where they remain until hatching. Once the eggs hatch, the tiny larvae are left to fend for themselves until they can reach maturity. Once mature, they return to the deep ocean to spend the rest of their lives. Not much is known about the life span of the dragonfish.

ス…ペ……？？？ | もこももも #pixiv https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/115807087

based on spectre from arknights

Juvenile:

Adult:

The vampire squid is a small cephalopod found throughout temperate and tropical oceans in extreme deep sea conditions. The vampire squid uses its bioluminescent organs and its unique oxygen metabolism to thrive in the parts of the ocean with the lowest concentrations of oxygen. Its huge, bright blue eyes — proportionally the largest in the animal kingdom — dark color, and the velvety, cloak-like webbing that connects its arms give the vampire squid its common name. Its scientific name, Vampyroteuthis infernalis, literally means “vampire squid of Hell”! Vampire squid are found in temperate and tropical deep-water zones worldwide at depths of 600 to 1200 m (1958 to 3937 ft). The water temperature at those depths is very cold, 2-6o C (35.6 to 42.8 o F). The vampire squid is no bloodsucker — it's a detritivore, meaning it eats dead organic material. It's the only living cephalopod species that doesn't eat live prey. What's on the menu? Mostly marine snow: particles of dead animals, rotting materials, poop, and snot. The part of the deep sea the vampire squid calls home is low in oxygen, and therefore also free of many predators. But predators exist nonetheless and include fishes, cephalopods, sea lions, sharks, and whales. Unlike most other cephalopods, a vampire squid reproduces multiple times in its life. A male vampire squid transfers his sperm to the female with his funnel (a cylindrical muscular structure found in all cephalopods used for respiration and movement). The lifespan of a vampire squid is usually very long. While the total lifespan is unknown, the adult life stage of squids can last up to eight years.

Hagfish, of the class Myxini and order Myxiniformes, are eel-shaped jawless fish. Hagfish are the only known living animals that have a skull but no vertebral column, although they do have rudimentary vertebrae. Eel-like in shape, hagfishes are scaleless, soft-skinned creatures with paired thick barbels on the end of the snout. Depending on the species, they grow to about 40 to 100 cm (16 to 40 inches) long. Primitive vertebrates, hagfishes have a tail fin (but no paired fins) and no jaws or bones. Preferring deep, soft mud habitat, hagfish are found at depths of 53 to 3,788 ft (16 to 1,155 m) (Love and Passarelli 2020) but are more common in depths less than 1,200 ft (366 m) (Love 1996). California fishermen usually catch hagfish in depths less than 1,800 ft (549 m). They prey on small invertebrates living in the mud; they also scavenge dead and dying fish. Hagfish are noted for their unusual way of feeding — they slither into dead or dying fishes and eat them from the inside out, using their "rasping tongue" to carry food into their funnel-shaped mouths. Hagfish are a popular food item for sea lions, seals, dolphins, porpoises, octopus…and people. Hagfish can be 25 to 50% of some predator's diets. Hagfish aren't as attractive as their name implies. One interesting thing about Hagfish, when threatened, can exude copious quantities of a milky and fibrous slime or mucus, from specialized slime glands. When released in seawater, the slime expands to 10,000 times its original size in 0.4 seconds. This slime that hagfish excrete has very thin fibers that make it more durable and retentive than the slime excreted by other animals. The fibers are made of proteins and also make the slime flexible. If they are caught by a predator, they can quickly release a large amount of slime to escape. If they remain captured, they can tie themselves in an overhand knot, and work their way from the head to the tail of the animal, scraping off the slime and freeing themselves from their captor. Rheological investigations showed that hagfish slime viscosity increases in elongational flow which favors gill clogging of suction feeding fish, while its viscosity decreases in shear which facilitates scraping off the slime by the travelling-knot.

Giant isopods are one of the largest crustaceans and the largest known member of the isopod family, a group of crustaceans that are closely related to shrimp and crabs. The giant isopod is also related to terrestrial crustaceans, such as Armadillidium vulgare, commonly known as the pillbug or roly-poly. The enormous size of giant isopods is a result of a phenomenon known as deep sea gigantism or abyssal gigantism, the tendency of deep sea animals to grow to a much larger size than similar species in shallower waters. Giant isopods are invertebrates with dorso-ventrally compressed bodies that are protected by thick and strong calcareous exoskeletons composed of overlapping segments. The first shell segment is fused to the head and most posterior segments are often fused to their body, forming a caudal shield over the abdomen. The top of the first shell segment protrudes out over the isopod’s large, fixed eyes. These compound eyes are spaced far apart and have over 4,000 individual facets. Light bounces off a reflective layer at the back of the eyes called the tapetum, making the eyes appear to glow. The giant isopod has seven pairs of pereopods (legs) that have a single branch. The first pair of pereopods is modified to help move food to the isopod’s four sets of jaws. The complex mouths are modified for cutting and tearing the giant isopod’s prey. They have two pairs of antennae, one small and one large, located at the front of its body. The abdomen has five segments called pleonites, each with two branches. These are modified into legs adapted for swimming (natatory legs) and rami, flat respiratory structures acting as gills. Giant isopods are brown or pale lilac in color. Giant isopods are carnivores. It is widely believed that they are scavengers; however, there is some evidence that they are also facultative predators, feeding on both live and dead animals. They are known to feed on fish, crab, shrimp, squid, sponges, and whale carcasses that fall to the seafloor as a whale falls. They are also known to attack trawl catches. These isopods can go for long periods of time without eating. They have been known to survive for four years without food when kept in a protected environment such as an aquarium. When a significant source of food is encountered, giant isopods gorge themselves to the point of compromising their locomotive ability. It is suggested that to find prey, they rely mainly on chemoreception and possibly mechanoreception, a sensory receptor that responds to mechanical pressure or distortion. Analysis of the stomach contents of three specimens collected north of the Yucatan Peninsula in the southern Gulf of Mexico uncovered large quantities of plastic. It is believed that the reproductive cycle of giant isopods peaks in the spring and winter months because food is more available then it is in the summer. Giant isopods reproduce by laying eggs. The females develop a pouch above her stomach and internal organs known as a marsupium where 20 to 30 eggs are stored until hatched. These eggs, up to 13 mm (0.51 in) in diameter, are thought to be the largest eggs of all the marine invertebrates. Females do not feed when brooding, they seem to bury themselves in the sediment to reduce energy expenditure during brooding, and insulate and protect the egg from predators. The hatchlings are fully formed miniatures of the adults. They are up to 6 cm (3.4 in) in length and almost fully developed, lacking only the last pair of pereopods. At this stage, they are known as manca. Like the pillbugs when threatened, giant isopods have the ability to curl up into a ball so that only the tough exterior shell is exposed and the sensitive interior is protected. While giant isopods spend most of their time on the deep seafloor scavenging for food, they are free-swimming and capable of gliding through the water. Given that some have been found at 170 meters (550 feet), it is possible that they may exhibit vertical migration. They burrow into the sediment for shelter and are always in a state of semi-hibernation. Since they do not know when they will be able to eat next, they limit their expenditure of the energy needed for movement and breathing. Giant isopods have developed large antennae that they use to find their way and prey as they crawl along the dark seafloor. They are an example of deep sea gigantism, the ability of deep sea creatures to grow much larger than their relatives in shallow waters. Scientists do not know why this occurs, but some believe gigantism may help a deep ocean organism withstand the extreme pressure under which it lives. Others suggest gigantism is a result of adaptations to scarce food resources in the deep ocean, delaying sexual maturity and resulting in greater size. It has also been suggested that to be due to Bergmann’s rule, which states that populations and species of larger size are found in colder environments, and species of smaller size are found in warmer regions. Decreasing temperature is thought to result in increased cell size and increased life span, both of which lead to an increase in maximum body size. Studies have found that giant isopods from different locations around the world were almost identical, indicating a lack of evolution. This has been attributed to the extremely low light levels of their habitat. Giant isopods are not listed on the IUCN Red List. However, giant isopods are encountering human threats. Brooding females are more frequently becoming caught by deep sea trawlers which decrease the populations, and there is evidence that giant isopods are ingesting plastic debris. From the fossil record, it is thought that giant isopods existed more than 160 million years ago, before the break-up of the supercontinent Pangaea. A giant isopod at the Toba Aquarium in Japan was fed a horse mackerel in January of 2009. While it pokes and rubs its face in food it has been offered, as if it is pretending to eat, it has not eaten since 2009. Nonetheless, its health does not appear to have suffered from the lack of food.