Montgolfier's Airshooter

s (Mortestruthus corpusicco) are an original species designed by User:TheAgent41. s inhabit the The Hole universe.

The airshooter is a medium-sized blue dipode with a small compact body and a pair of exceptionally long and thin digitigrade legs. Its body is covered with a lightweight leathery hide with a color scheme employing countershading (the creature's back is the darkest in color and its underbelly is the lightest). Unlike its relative, the bloodstrider, the airshooter does not possess an easily defineable neckline that can be discerned from an external view. The airshooter, like its cousin, possesses a sharp proboscis-like snout, although it is much shorter. On either side of its head are a trio of nostril-like thermal organs capable of sensing body heat.

The airshooter is famous for its disproportionately long legs, which end in hooved feet. The airshooter's feet are easily distinguished from those of other similar creatures by their extended toes, the tips of which are completely enclosed by their toenails.

The most notable anatomical feature of the airshooter is the pair of air pods that protrude from the creature's sides via short stalks. The pods are translucent, hollow, and balloon-like; they are also home to a species of symbiotic bacteria that lives exclusively in airshooter air pods. This bacteria is photosynthetic and converts sunlight into lighter-than-air gases at a high rate. These air pods can expand to quadruple their normal volume and the airshooter can use these gases to float into the air.

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By opening one of two siphons on each pod (one on each end), the airshooter is capable of propelling itself forward or backward in the air by releasing these gases at high speeds. Airshooters are very adept flyers despite their unconventional method of propulsion. They are highly maneuverable in mid-air and can change direction by using their long legs as a rudder for steering. In addition, they can alternate siphons to change the direction of propulsion at a moment's notice.

Montgolfier's Airshooters tend to live in small colonies with numbers between 6 and 8. Airshooters have developed a mutualistic relationship with the Giant Starfloat.

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 * The scientific name Achlyaves montgolfieri loosely translates from Latin as "Montgolfier's Achlys bird." The name is a reference to Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier, a pair of brothers who are credited for inventing the hot air balloon.