Frilo

The Frilo's ancestors were fast moving predatory sea dwellers using its eight paddle like limbs and harpoon like mouthparts to pursue and pierce fast moving prey.

Far removed from its predatory ancestors, the frilo is a herbivorous grazer that has adapted to life on land. The limbs it once used to swim have shortened becoming stubby legs however it still retains a set of flippers that aid it in cases where it must swim. The piercing mouth of its ancestors has evolved into an extendable tube that it uses to feed from the plantlike creatures that can be found in the shallows of atolls the Frilo calls home.

The “flowers” it feeds on are in fact not plants at all but animals spending their larval stage in the ocean. When they reach maturity the larvae bury themselves in the sandy beaches of the planets many atolls and continue to grow into adulthood. Living within the arms of these creatures are photosynthetic single celled organisms that provide it with nourishment. However because they cannot move on land they have become dependant on the Frilo for reproduction. The cone structures located between the arms of the creature secrete a sugary substance that then pools at its base. When the Frilo extends its mouth to feed it frequently brushes against the walls of the cone where the reproductive cells of the creature are held. By feeding from various cones the Frilo aids in the reproductive cycle of these animals thus creating the basis for the ecosystem present on the atolls.

Artwork © Raul Ramos All Rights Reserved