Crab Teratoma

 | Feature | Details | | :--- | :--- | | **Species** | *Coral geodesica* + *Ostrakonskelos* | | **Attitude** | Passive | | **Type** | Anchored | | **Category** | Anomalies | | **Biome** | Shallows |   ![Crab Teratoma](Crab Teratoma.png)   Crab Teratomas are anomalous Proteavirus-induced mutations found inside the Crab Tower in the Shallows.   ## Appearance   *Section requires expansion.*   ## Databank Entry   **Databank generation alert:** known scientific theory inadequate to explain specimen.   This coral dome (*Coral geodesica*) contains a mass of chimeric tissue: part coral, part crab limb (tentative clade name: *Ostrakonselos*). The mass feeds like a coral, but cannot produce enough energy to move its limbs.   Spectrogenetic analysis indicates the entire mass grew from a single cell line containing the genetic information of both a coral polyp and a large crab.   Animals of different species cannot reproduce. It is impossible for a coral polyp and a crab to combine their genetic information to produce this cell line. When genes do transfer between different species, it is often the result of retroviral infection. (The mammalian placenta relies on a genes inserted by a retrovirus hundreds of millions of years ago.)   **Assessment:** either the result of artificial intervention, or a striking example of viral activity transporting genes between infected species.   **Recommendation:** consult with your Noetic Advisor's research function.   *Source: Scan a Crab Teratoma*