Spec Evo Vault, Rainbow Squid
Among the largest organism of "The Future is Wild" timeline, as well the largest squid and animal on the planet in 200 M.y. in the future, the Rainbow Squid is one of the extraordinary representatives of how far cephalopods achieved in terms of evolutionary adaptations on color change
Morphologically speaking it still maintains the average squid shape with a large mantle and equally sized arms, although these not longer serve purpose on hunting and seem to be only relying on their main tentacles under the flattened horizontal row of arms that placidly undulate.
Anatomically and behaviorally, however, there were some remarkable changes, including the now longer lifespans that extend up to a century. With such long life, they were able to develop their intelligence further in a way that is capable to control their chromatophores extraordinarily.
This animal is capable of mimicking its surrounding environment to the point it can turn invisible in any direction, imitating the upper light of the surface or the dark bottom of the ocean, as well is capable of produce varied flashing multi color patterns tht works out for warning of any minor intruder swimming towards them.
This trick also helps them to hunt down the local Ocean Flishes, this thanks that their flat arms can imitate the school of Silverswimmers, and when one of these gets into the range, the flish is caught off guard with one of their tentacles.
Normally they wander across the ocean solitary with no boundaries but once a year in the full moon in autum equinox, they reunite in the south region facing the supercontinent in order to mate, and like giant oversized birds of paradise with LED screens for ornamental organs, the males to court a female display a spectacle of colors and lights.
Although with their size, and with the ecological vacuum left of the last mass extinction eliminated a chunk of possible competitors and dangers, they are still vulnerable to the few predators around, specially to the attack of large groups of sharkopaths, derived fasts sharks characterized by their coordinated method of hunting that is guided by electroreceptors and flashlights patterns across their bodies that allow them to communicate the location of a prey (they will have their space in an spec vault entry).
If one of those is capable of locate and attract enough individuals, a Rainbow squid only hope is to remain hidden with their camouflage, and even with that, panic can eventually end up causing it to lose their veil and leave them as the dinner of the far future sharks.
Notes
-There is something bugging about the hunting behavior of the Rainbow Squid that seems to be so inefficient regarding the nutrient value would offer just to hunt few flishes in a single day, for an animal that their size is as big as a whale which ingest a single animal of the size of a seagull, there should more suitable or preferable prey, and we are talking about an animal with one of the largest brains on 200 million years, is like a guy hunting bees and just ate them one at the time.
-I would have liked the body plan of this animal was more varied than just bein a big squid with large flat tentacles, something on that size as well living far in the future likely would change further and considering how diverse are squids and octopuses it could offer even more possible shapes apart of the streamlined surface coleoids, considering the rainbow squid is mostly an ambush predator and probably is a descendant of deep water species.
