| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Anchored |
| Category | Raions |
| Biome | Tar Delta |
| Scan Tool | Bioscanner |
Porcupine Raion is an anchored lifeform that appears in the Tar Delta region.
Appearance
The Porcupine Raion consists of 5 poles that enlarge at the tips, and is covered in multiple thick thorns.
Databank Entry
Raion hystrix, the porcupine raion. A colonial tube worm with a thorny defensive array.
1. Cold metabolism
Like Earth's Lamellibrachia, the porcupine raion feeds on methane and sulfur from cold seeps (such as tar floods). The raion depends on symbiotes to metabolize these chemicals. Symbiotes are hosted in the trophosome, a gut-like organ within the worm.
2. Odd symbiotes
These symbiotes are tiny solarian holobionts classified as 'telonemes'. These predatory organisms engulf sulfur-metabolizing monobionts. This may represent a step towards the evolution of scyllids, the clade of solarians with internal sockets for bacterial symbiotes. Pioneers may note that the porcupine raion depends on a symbiote that depends on a symbiote.
3. New raion history?
The raion clade continues to trouble PDA analysis. Earth's superficially similar anemones evolved only once. Did raions also evolve a single time, perhaps from colonies of deep-sea vent worms? Or has the raion evolved many times—like Earth's annelids, nematodes, helminths and caecilians? What makes "worms living together" such a successful body plan on Proteus?
4. Defensive thorns
Sharp mineralized thorns protect the porcupine raion from large, grasping predators. The worm citizens of the raion pool their metabolic byproducts to create a toxic fluid they can spit when distressed.
Assessment: the raion problem is consuming too much PDA output.
Source: Scan a Porcupine Raion
