A medium sized Surface Dwelling anthropod that feeds on wetland and aquatic vegetation. mounted on a 1 inch diorama of flowing seagrass and stone.
A warm breeze sways drooping willow branches, stirring a slow gentle river, its wide banks home to long strands of cattails, thick clusters of lily pads and a wedge shaped shelled creature, quietly chewing through them at a docile pace. Frogs and birds rest on this notably serene crustacean’s hard flat shell while it roams the fresh waters, spearing lily pads and cattails, chewing through the fibrous material with its channel of countless teeth. Though blind, it has a highly developed sense of taste, able to detect the flora of its specialized diet and the build up of surface algae. It is through the filtering and consumption of this scum that the ruske both cleans up the waters for plants to proliferate and develop its own inner toxins. These toxins suffuse its body, for the sole purpose of it giving its meat an impalpable taste and often lethal digestion, leading this creature to live a safe, if slow, life.
