Bio›BioLab›Homing Sense

Surge jelly (tentatively Staurobrachia capacitor). Large, complex jelly that hunts with electric shocks. 1. Single animal Unlike colonial organisms such as the Portuguese man'o'war, the surge jelly is a single animal with specialized tissues—far *more* specialized and complex than Earth jellies. Proposed class name: staurobrachia (pole arms). 2. Complex internal structure Outer bell ringed with sense organs called rhopalia. A nerve net coordinates the bell's motions to swim and seek prey. The visible inner structure is the gut. 3. Feeding structure The jelly retains its stalk — a remnant of its growth in a stack of clones. The stalk draws in nutrients for the gut. 4. Charged fins Two rigid fins contain wirelike electrocytes, likely a development of ancestral tentacles. These organs build voltage to stun or kill prey. Measured power ranges from 400 to 1000 volts at 1 ampere: enough to kill a human. 5. Peculiar passengers Traces of radioactivity, high-temperature waxes and sulfuric acid imply contact with a hydrothermal vent. Composition of the jelly's tissues suggest origins in the deep ocean. 6. Former domestics? Jellies in close proximity communicate through their electric fields. Whether jellies have individual names or a grammatical language is purely speculative, but some patterns may be trained or learned—even passed down through generations of jellies. Assessment: minor danger in close contact. Fascinating research prospect from a distance.

Hammerhead (tentatively *Panoplia hammerhead*). An armored, herd-dwelling, territorial herbivore with a powerful ram. 1. Hammer head Challenges intruders on its territory, especially other hammerheads. Displays its pectoral fins and closes its enamel head shield before attacking. 2. Jet propulsion Spiracles behind the eyes feed into a jet channel with internal gills. The jet drives the hammerhead's sudden rams. 3. Large brain Floats in a protective cyst. The central eye sees color, while two smaller motion-sensitive eyes guide ramming. 4. Grazing jaw The muscular vertical jaw suggests a diet of sponges, kelps, tunicates, and possibly crushed coral. The need to protect a grazing area may have evolved the hammerhead's territoriality. 5. Practice behavior? Hammerheads ram coral domes. The adaptive benefit is unclear—perhaps toughening their shields. Advise caution, especially when piloting vehicles. May have social cognition comparable to Earth’s ungulates, some of which were extremely dangerous to humans. Ramming areas (called leks) are a major source of ocean noise.