#waddlepus

I wanted to draw some of the bugs, but I couldn’t decide which ones to do so I put every single one into a wheel and had it pick ! :)

Waddlepus

“Perfect for make-ahead meals! Marinate the boiled meat in balsamic vinegar, and chill for a few hours. The longer you let it sit, the richer the flavor!”

Species: Waddlepus

Family: unknown (Asteriidae/Octopodidae?)

Class: Asteroidea/Cephalopoda 

Phylum: Echinodermata/Mollusca

Anatomy and Physiology:

The Waddlepus. Is it a starfish? Is it an octopus? We have no idea, but it is quite cute! It has smooth bumps on it’s skin and comes in a variety of shades of purples, pinks, and blues. They have odd yellow pores on their backs that can actually suck in air or water it inflate their backs to appear bigger to enemies. They also have green eyes with strange, hourglass-shaped pupils. 

Ecology/Habitat:

The Waddlepus requires salt water to survive. Like the starfish and octopus, it can survive out of water for short periods of time, but must primarily live under water. It is quite clumsy on land anyways, hence its name. 

Diet:

The Waddlepus has a the soft mouth of a starfish. They are actually, like a starfish, capable of externally digesting their prey, pushing their digestive organs out through their mouths, partially digesting prey, then pulling everything back in. Charming. 

Behavior:

The Waddlepus is quite gentle. They spend most of their time at rest on the ocean floor, or in the shallows. When threatened, they puff themselves up to appear bigger, but this takes up a lot of energy. 

Communication:

No sounds are known.

Human uses: