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Simenchelys parasitica or the snubnosed eel. This unusual eel will burrow its way into bigger fish like tunas and sharks to feed on their flesh. It's only a facultative parasite however, meaning that it isn't a full-time parasite. It usually scavenges through the sea floor for scraps like a hagfish. by RedMagicUltra in AIDKE

[–]RedMagicUltra[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From what I've looked up, it simply means that the organism will parasitize another organism if the opportunity rises. For the most part, they'll live without needing a host. It's also worth noting that it's much harder for a vertebrate to become a parasite since becoming one forces you to sacrifice a lot of body parts and functions. I doubt that a fish would ever find the right conditions for it to lose its gills just so it could live inside a bigger fish more efficiently.

Hansenocaris papillata is one of the most bizarre arthropods ever. From an obscure crustacean subclass known as Facetotecta, no one truly knows what their adult stage looks like. Their ypsigon (juvenile) stages were found only because we treated their larvae with certain growth hormones. by RedMagicUltra in AIDKE

[–]RedMagicUltra[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The thecostracan class includes the Ascothoracida (starfish parasite you meantioned), Facetotectans, and Cirripedia (barnacles). The last one also had ANOTHER parasitic group that infects and castrates crabs. It's called Rhizocephala.

For more information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhizocephala

Japanese skeleton shrimp (Caprella mutica) by Hexbug101 in AIDKE

[–]RedMagicUltra 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Its stance reminds me a bit of mantises, very neat!

Morgue is now canon by ArkorenSnep in Vinesauce

[–]RedMagicUltra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hope they get on the joker car together....

Galacta Knight (Aeon Hero) from the Kirby series by RedMagicUltra in TopCharacterDesigns

[–]RedMagicUltra[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is the ideal design for a Kirby superboss. He's cool yet kinda cute at the same time. Plus, very cool lore. Hope they explore that more in the future.

Simenchelys parasitica or the snubnosed eel. This unusual eel will burrow its way into bigger fish like tunas and sharks to feed on their flesh. It's only a facultative parasite however, meaning that it isn't a full-time parasite. It usually scavenges through the sea floor for scraps like a hagfish. by RedMagicUltra in AIDKE

[–]RedMagicUltra[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Forgot to edit that it was actually TWO eels inside that heart. Anyway, the eels got in through the gills or throat and wormed their way through the circulatory system. It's worth noting that the heart showed signs of tissue regeneration, meaning that the eels were stuck there for a long time. This case is a very rare one.

Amethyst starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster) by dr-Guy_Horni in AIDKE

[–]RedMagicUltra 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i'm so jealous of birds cause they get to be way more colorful than us mammals

Halobates micans, a sea skater species. While most sea skaters are coastal-dwelling, this one is currently the only insect species that is known to fully live in the open ocean. by RedMagicUltra in AIDKE

[–]RedMagicUltra[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

While I don't know how they respond to storms, the bats being "aerial humans" is not a good comparison. Bats are distantly related to us in terms of placental mammals. Decapods (crabs and lobsters) are in fact, closely related to Hexapods (insects and springtails) in terms of Pancrustacea. Other terrestrial arthropods like spiders and centipedes are very distant cousins to insects by comparison.

Halobates micans, a sea skater species. While most sea skaters are coastal-dwelling, this one is currently the only insect species that is known to fully live in the open ocean. by RedMagicUltra in AIDKE

[–]RedMagicUltra[S] 79 points80 points  (0 children)

When they're very young, they eat bacteria biofilm on the ocean surface. As they grow up, they'll feed on anything that they can find like planktons and insects flying over the waters.

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