Porcupine Raion

+| Feature | Details |+| :--- | :--- |+| **Type** | Anchored |+| **Category** | Raions |+| **Biome** | Tar Delta |+| **Scan Tool** | Bioscanner |+ +![Porcupine Raion](Porcupine Raion.png)+ +**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*