Evolutionary:Example species

This is an example article. It shows what a finished species page looks like, following the style guide. It isn't canon, and it isn't counted in any category. Open the editor to see how it's built, or copy its layout for a new page.

An ember octopus carrying molten metal away from a vent in stone tongs

Species

Ember octopus

Thermoctopus fabricator

Classification

Type

Fauna

Biochemistry

Carbon-based

Sapience

Semi-sapient

Origin

Homeworld

Nereid

System

Halcyon

Habitat

Hydrothermal vent fields, 1,800 to 2,600 m deep

Biology

Size

Mantle about 40 cm; arm span up to 2.5 m

Lifespan

9 to 12 years

Diet

Vent crabs, tubeworms, bacterial mats

Reproduction

Sexual; mothers survive brooding

Society

Communication

Skin colour patterns, arm signals

Technology

Stone tools; casting of soft metals

Discovery

Discovered

2291

Discovered by

Survey probe Meridian

Status

Locally common

The ember octopus (Thermoctopus fabricator) is a semi-sapient cephalopod native to the hydrothermal vent fields of Nereid, an ocean world in the Halcyon system. It is one of the few known species to have begun working metal, casting soft metals in the heat of the vents to make simple tools.

Description

The ember octopus closely resembles the octopuses of Earth, a striking case of convergent evolution. It has a soft, boneless body, eight arms lined with suckers, and large, forward-facing eyes adapted to the dim glow of the vents.

Its skin is a deep red-brown at rest, but can flash through orange, gold and white within a fraction of a second. These colour changes are used both for camouflage against the mineral chimneys and for communication.

Biology

The undersides of its arms carry thick, heat-resistant pads made of a tough protein similar to keratin. These let the animal briefly handle rock and metal at temperatures that would kill most vent life.

Like Earth's octopuses, it has a large, distributed nervous system, with much of its processing done in the arms themselves. Its brain-to-body ratio is the highest of any invertebrate recorded on Nereid.

Behaviour

Ember octopuses are mostly solitary, but gather in loose groups around the most productive vents. They are curious, and approach unfamiliar objects to investigate them rather than fleeing.

Tool use and metalworking

The species' best-known behaviour is its use of tools. Young octopuses first learn to use loose stones as hammers and wedges, prying prey out of crevices.

Adults go further. Near the hottest vents, water can reach over 350 °C without boiling, because of the crushing pressure at that depth. Ember octopuses collect lumps of tin and lead from the mineral deposits around these vents, carry them into the hot outflow using stone "tongs", and let them melt. The molten metal is then poured into hollows in the rock, where it cools into simple shapes: blades, hooks and weights.

Only a minority of adults have been observed casting metal, and the techniques differ between vent fields. This suggests the skill is learned and passed on, rather than instinctive.

Habitat and range

The ember octopus lives only around active hydrothermal vents, at depths of 1,800 to 2,600 m. It is common in the vent fields of Nereid's southern ocean ridges, and has not been found elsewhere.

Because vents can shut down without warning, populations regularly have to move. Groups have been tracked crossing several kilometres of open seabed between vent fields.

Society and culture

Unlike the octopuses of Earth, ember octopus mothers survive after their eggs hatch, and stay with their young for up to two years. Researchers believe this long period of care is what allowed tool use, and later metalworking, to be taught and refined from one generation to the next.

Different vent fields have their own styles of tools, and their own colour signals for the same objects. Some researchers describe these as early cultures.

Discovery

The species was first recorded in 2291 by the survey probe Meridian, whose cameras captured an ember octopus carrying a glowing lump of metal away from a vent. The footage was at first dismissed as a camera fault.

Follow-up missions confirmed the behaviour, and the vent fields of Nereid are now one of the most closely studied sites for non-human tool use.

Behind the scenes

• The ember octopus was written as the example article for this wiki.
• It was inspired by real octopuses, which are known for their intelligence and, in the case of the veined octopus, for carrying coconut shells to use as shelters.
• The metalworking is kept to soft metals on purpose. Tin and lead melt at temperatures the vents can actually reach, so the idea stays within hard science-fiction.