Acid Raion

Databank Text

Raion carbonica. A colony of worms living inside a shared membrane, probably a sponge. Uses weak acid to digest prey.

1. Raion
   An organism defined as a sponge occupied by a colony of cloned predatory worms. This sponge is chambered, akin to Earth’s extinct sphinctozoans; the chambers grow around a central pump.

2. Pressurized acid
   The raion’s worms secrete weak acid as a digestive factor and defense mechanism. This acid is held under pressure by a plug in the raion’s central pump. To avoid unwanted acid release, cut away the chambers before disturbing the central pump.

3. Volcanic origin?
   The acid raion may have originally evolved near a cold seep or a volcanic caldera. Acid-friendly biochemistry gave it a useful defense mechanism and feeding strategy to colonize other waters.

4. Medical gel
   The raion’s central pump is partially plugged by a mass of worm residue; this keeps the pressure in the chambers high. This residue contains useful clotting factors and broad-spectrum antibiotics. Recommend collection.

5. Problematic genetics
   Spectrogenetic analysis indicates the host sponge and the resident worms contain partial copies of each others’ genomes. This is a biological impossibility on Earth, and suggests that genetic inheritance functions differently on this world.

Assessment: useful source of weak acid for batteries. Central plug contains medically relevant gel. Cut away chambers before removing central plug.

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