Dune
@ghost_bird @bgcarlisle i’m trying to figure out the logistics of eating sand plankton
Like whales, they just take all the solid stuff out of the water. But sand is also a solid stuff so you’d need a much more refined sorting method. Maybe they’re different densities??????
Dune
@bgcarlisle @ghost_bird that sure would be a sight
Dune
@Satsuma @bgcarlisle @ghost_bird i'm imagining one of those noodle guys outside of used car lots, but a giant sand worm and now i can't stop laughing
re: Dune
@glitternoodle @bgcarlisle @ghost_bird I feel like we've made a lot of progress towards understanding Dune ecology here today, round of applause everyone
Dune
@Satsuma @ghost_bird @bgcarlisle The plankton in question ("sandtrout") are pretty big, like fist sized. So it's relatively the same process; sand flows past teeth that catch them.
The really wacky part is that they're the larvae of the sandworms. And they also self-destruct to destroy water sources. It's a whole 1-species terraforming ecosystem.
Dune
@Satsuma @ghost_bird Maybe they do a kind of centrifuge thing and swing their heads around in a circle real fast