Archaeoblobus -> Spiculus (Lord_Iggy)
Additions: A cluster of elongate cells possessing a dense, sensitive tip, the Spiculus is an occasionally colonial organism possessing a well-developed network of filamentous nanostructures capable of extending and contracting. Sclerotized (hardened) tips exist at the poles of each cell. When these tips are stimulated, the cells thin and extend, launching the sharp-tipped weapon into whatever has contacted the Spiculus. Once extended, the cells secrete digestive enzymes to break down any organic material, absorbing the nutrients and directing them back into the main body of the organism. While this behaviour has proven highly effective for sustaining individual cells, Spiculi have been observed in colonial forms, where a collection of multiple cells attach themselves to form a combined filament, engaging in limited amounts of cooperation and very minor specialization, such as non-terminal cells failing to develop hardened tips, and terminal cells forming combined tips with their neighbours. These colonial structures tend to reproduce by simple fission, and have been observed dissociating back into monocellular forms when nutrient levels can no longer sustain the larger multicellular organism.
Subtractions: None at this time.