Name: Pa'hupa
The Pa'hupa are a race of gas, or sometimes liquid, inflated beings, which process and expel various gasses as part of global terraformation efforts.
The Pa'hupa have been primarily observed in applications specific to long term terraforming efforts, but also have secondary functions in aggregation, stratification, fractionization, condensation, and sequestration of various gasses, rarely liquids, or aetheric isotopes.
Their coloration tends to select, or potentially be chosen, to provide suitable camouflage in their home environment. For example, volcanic regions will tend to have individuals that match ash-filled sky coloration, whereas upper altitude fliers will tend towards the blue spectrum of colors as atmospheric development progresses. Some species have chromatophore infused tissues which may be used for camouflage and/or communication.
Different body plans are present, depending upon the applicable environment. High-altitude fliers tend to be diaphanous, whereas mixed environment plans might have a rubber-like skin that tolerates differences in media, at the cost of not being optimal in either, comparatively.
Some are buoyant, and reside on the water's surface, where they perform gas exchange roles between the air and sea or other body of water, helping to enhance oxygenation or carbon sequestration, where they will precipitate various products as a result or byproduct of their biological processes.
Others are amphibious, able to both fully submerge, and float, either through use of gas bladders, solid ballast, or pure aethonic activation mass differentiation. Liquid only Pa'hupa do exist, but are more rarely encountered. The specific niche these are supposed to fill in the ecology is not well understood, though some speculate that they are for gasses which may be gas or liquid at specific temperatures, so they may be present at the early formation of a planet in the liquid body, but then migrate to being aerial when the planet has warmed sufficiently, without needing a secondary organism to take over the role.
Amphibious body plans tend to utilize two states; one more inflated as a singular globule for gas exchange, whereas deep ocean dwelling entities will morph to smaller nodule clusters, which resemble multiple organisms organized like a string of pearls. Under further examination, however, the string formation has been found to be a singular entity using internal fibrous musculature to constrict and shape multiple gas bearing nodules from a contiguous tissue topology.
Size varies widely between species or even members of a species, depending upon environmental factors, rather than age or maturity of an individual. Low-density environments encourage larger specimens, with the converse also being true.
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Present anywhere where gas or gas-liquid adjustment may be necessary but is not well suited for adjustment by chemical processes alone. The various species differ based on local temperature, humidity, and gas availability. Higher altitudes, gas-liquid interface points, and extreme environments may contain one or more less common, specialized species applicable to the terraforming adaptations desired. Most species are specifically adapted for particular environments, though some species are multienvironment.
As per environment, they may be found in any locality, in any geography, including being purposed at the stratospheric boundary or even vacuum if required for a particular role.
Pa'hupa operate symbiotically with a number of other species which may use them as colonization platforms, food or atmospheric resources, or even resting platforms for transient or migratory individuals.
Their diets tend to be varied, as they subsist on whatever is available in their chosen habitat; phytoplankton feeders are just as prevalent as solar energy absorption. Carnivorous specimens have been observed infrequently, though carrion is far more prevalent as a nutrient source. Some species will land and break down biologicals opportunistically, others rely primarily on air or water-borne particles.
Pa'hupa pre-date any and all other extant species recorded, including progenitors. Origin is thus indeterminate.
Pa'hupa are effectively single celled organisms, and as such have no true development; they are fully formed as soon as reproduction is complete, and grow to full size based only on diet availability — potentially minutes.
Reproduction varies based upon environmental need. Primary reproduction is typically via binary fission, however budding is commonly observed in water-borne species with larger clutches. Mitotic division is also available as a reproductive strategy to all Pa'hupa, but less common.
Pa'hupa have no observed senescence mechanisms, any organism not falling subject to predation or mishap is effectively immortal on any non-geologic timescale.
Their behaviors tend towards the passive, but activity has been noted in a number of the species, especially those in more temperate or active areas — volcanism, sea/air interface, and so on. While they appear to not have any particular mechanism of motility in common between the species by and large, they all use similar mechanisms of action. Air bladder are squeezed for propulsion in some, in others cilia or flagella are present — sometimes exerting force against a medium, other times simply being used for orientation, rather than locomotion.
Intelligence has not been observed, but admittedly has not been studied extensively. It is theorized that awakening is only done on a small percentage of the species, typically when establishing a new colony, after which awakenings are likely to be more rare, as gas concentration and processing tends to occur only at global scales, taking tens of thousands of years with populations in the billions during initial processing.
Communication has been theorized based on olfactory transmission of fractionated gasses and chromatophore usage. No credible reports have been substantiated.
None.
Pa'hupa may contain gasses, liquids, or solid waste products which may be reactive with some atmospheres or environments. Caution should be maintained to avoid dangerous interactions.
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