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The banded suckerlump clings to a log, snatching flying insects out of the air with its highly specialized tongue.
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Banded SuckerlumpPotatonurae inmobilis
Era: Early Cretaceous
Time: 140,000,000 BCE Habitat: rainforest Diet: insects/invertebrates Location: Continental Europe Size: 4” |
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The mottled suckerlump is, like our timeline’s flatfish, a creature whose specialized lifestyle has caused a tremendous shift in body plan which seems absurd, but is actually perfectly suited for its methods of survival.
A juvenile suckerlump looks and lives much like its ancestor, the marbled snapapple. However, upon reaching maturity, a shocking transformation occurs. The young suckerlump finds a prime spot with abundant flying insects, ambient moisture, and shade. This is a terrifically important decision: the individual may spend the rest of their life here. Clutching the spot, often on a branch or log, the suckerlumps body begins to change over the course of a few weeks. The spine curls and contorts, the extremities become subsumed into the central mass, the eyes dramatically shift to become almost level with the mouth, and soon, the suckerlump has anchored itself in place, like a barnacle, becoming a sessile predator. The suckerlump’s incredibly inactive lifestyle requires few calories, so it can subsist on the insects which come into the range of its projectile tongue. The suckerlump’s tongue can fire like a chameleon’s, grappling insects out of the air at a distance several times the length of the suckerlump’s body. The eyes move independently as turrets able to keep watch for prey and predator. The suckerlump’s defense is camouflage: with eyes closed tight, it can disguise itself as moss on a log, or even as droppings, depending on the regional variety. The suckerlump is not completely immobile, and can still shuffle along on its vestigial limbs so re-orient itself, seek shade, and mate. Suckerlumps often live in close proximity to one another, giving the impression of raspberry-like clusters. |
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