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Description

The glowing floater is part of the "Invertigo" worldbuilding project.

One of the more common predators found in K'ilita, the glowing floater can reach a total body height of up to 2 meters. Its gas bladder, which makes up about 80% of its volume, is filled with a mixture of hydrogen and methane which is produced by the creature's digestive system and allows it to float, as its name suggests. The organs are located in the smaller mass at the bottom which allows it to stay upright. Its large and flexible fin-like rudders allow the creature to move rather quickly and with amazing precision. The bioluminescent patterns are used primarily for mating displays. A swarm of courting floaters is quite an amazing view.

The floater hunts by spotting its prey with its four eyes located on top of the bladder. It has excellent eyesight and can see from the infrared spectrum to green. Once it spots a viable target, it will aim with its tentacles and shoot several spring-loaded harpoons. These will inject the target with a potent paralyzing toxin which prevents it from fighting back and allows the floater to reel it in. Once firmly in its grasp, the floater will use the proboscis located in the central tentacle to inject digestive liquids and eventually suck out the liquefied innards.

The central tentacle also contains the floater's anus. One of its primary means of defense is to squirt its liquid feces at predators to deter them.

A male will also use the tentacle to deposit its sperm in the female's genital opening, which is located at its side.

The female's genital opening leads to a chamber where her eggs grow. Once ready to spawn, the female will use her tentacles to anchor herself to a save spot. The eggs will hatch inside her body and the young leave it through the opening. They will then crawl onto her gas bladder and use their probosces to suck out her gas mix, filling their own bladders with it. This will leave the female unable to float, causing her to eventually starve to death.

Description

The glowing floater is part of the "Invertigo" worldbuilding project.

One of the more common predators found in K'ilita, the glowing floater can reach a total body height of up to 2 meters. Its gas bladder, which makes up about 80% of its volume, is filled with a mixture of hydrogen and methane which is produced by the creature's digestive system and allows it to float, as its name suggests. The organs are located in the smaller mass at the bottom which allows it to stay upright. Its large and flexible fin-like rudders allow the creature to move rather quickly and with amazing precision. The bioluminescent patterns are used primarily for mating displays. A swarm of courting floaters is quite an amazing view.

The floater hunts by spotting its prey with its four eyes located on top of the bladder. It has excellent eyesight and can see from the infrared spectrum to green. Once it spots a viable target, it will aim with its tentacles and shoot several spring-loaded harpoons. These will inject the target with a potent paralyzing toxin which prevents it from fighting back and allows the floater to reel it in. Once firmly in its grasp, the floater will use the proboscis located in the central tentacle to inject digestive liquids and eventually suck out the liquefied innards.

The central tentacle also contains the floater's anus. One of its primary means of defense is to squirt its liquid feces at predators to deter them.

A male will also use the tentacle to deposit its sperm in the female's genital opening, which is located at its side.

The female's genital opening leads to a chamber where her eggs grow. Once ready to spawn, the female will use her tentacles to anchor herself to a save spot. The eggs will hatch inside her body and the young leave it through the opening. They will then crawl onto her gas bladder and use their probosces to suck out her gas mix, filling their own bladders with it. This will leave the female unable to float, causing her to eventually starve to death.