Symbiotic Provuci

As Mason gradually flooded with the melting of the Ice Caps, the provuci were forced into a smaller and smaller spaces. Islands formed of the four volcanic islands and various high points in the tundra, and the populations on each were gradually submerged, their lives taken, but for those on the largest island, Yokto. The remaining species clustered on Yokto Volcanic survived, clinging to the relatively moist margins of the island, dying out in the drying interior. But, as the beached gelatus adapted to the conditions of the interior, the provuci followed. They became partially reliant on each other, each with the potential to live their lives apart, but together becoming much more successful. The provuci have specialized their air-tubes, a divisor cordoning off a small section of the tracts on the bottom, and the top tracts becoming much enlarged to the point where they cover the entire top of the organism. A provuci will stick its entire trunk into either a puddle of water or through one of the specially designed pores near the bottom of the gelati, closing their air tube and vacuuming up water until it drains the puddle, or in the latter case, until the gelati pore begins to contract, forcing the provuci's snout out. This water will travel toward the top of the organism, the quarter of the air tube designed for water intake trailing into the large sacs on top of the organism. Water is stockpiled here, enough to sustain the organism for up to a full masonian "year". This layer of water, and the organism's newly evolved skin, thicker than its ancestor, protect the organism from the solar radiation which has become much more powerful with the cooling of Mason's core and the following diminishment of its magnetic field.

Their "scrapers" have become more developed as well, allowing it to scrape off its food and its symbiote's parasite more effectively, as well as to dig and then cover the ground cavities they use to hibernate each "winter", being too cold to stay out in the open any more, what with the decrease in atmosphere. It has adapted an "eye" as a covering for its mouth, decreasing moisture loss that comes with leaving its mouth partially open continuously. This functions as an eye still, and with increased sensitivity coming from gradual refinement of its senses, it can use the single covering to see as well as its ancestor did with all three eyes continuously out, pointing it in different directions using its trunk. If it needs to see more effectively or to use depth perception, though, it can still pull out the two other eyes.

Their social structure has changed as well. With a patch of symbiotic gelati becoming the focus of many provuci from a mile around, they inevitably became social instead of individualistic. "Troops" of provuci are simply a group of the organisms that live within an area and are related to each other, each producing a specific group of scents and heat patterns on their surface whenever another provuci comes in contact. If the provuci is from another troop, each releases its heat sensors, waving the large appendages up and down, until one backs off. If two from the same troop meet, they will do nothing more than check each other's water supplies, locking water tubes and the one with the abundant water transferring some to its less fortunate relative(this also gives the donor a brief surge of pleasure, an impetus to share on future occasions), and if one knows of a nearby food source such as a decaying foldbulb, it will pass on that information by moving its oral tentacles in the direction of the food. These troops will simultaneously bury their gelatinous eggs in large pits near one or more gelati, the egg cycles synced between members of the troop. This event, occurring once every few "years" will show a few provuci prowling the land covering the egg, taking "shifts" of guarding the unhatched young until another troop member comes to relieve the guardian. Troop heat patterns and scents are genetic, and as sub-troops diverge genetically, they will become increasingly hostile toward others, eventually diverging completely.