(Timeline Tuesday #105)
Gorebulbs are a species of reptile who originated on another timeline, but have since made this reality home. They are long and relatively flat, crawling across the ground on their bellies. They have six eyes and four stout legs. Gorebulb scales are a potent shade of green, and their lips are the same hue but darker. Of course, it is quite unusual for a reptile to have lips in the first place, but that is not the only unusual feature of this strange animal.
The gorebulb diet consists of small insects, arachnids and invertebrates—anything that would call a neighborhood garden home. It’s no surprise that a garden is we’re you’re most likely to find a gorebulb, although these creatures also sometimes appear in the wilderness where large amounts of wildflowers are present.
The most notorious feature of this species is their long, slender tongue, which is the organ they use to attract and catch their prey. Gorebulbs are lazy creatures, preferring to lay in the sun and gather its warmth than hunt their food, so they’ve developed a way to bring the meals to them. The gorebulb tongue is light green, ending with a cluster of flaps that are nearly identical to the petals and pistil of a healthy flower, ready to be pollinated. The tongue itself is muscular enough to stand upright like a stalk, which is how a gorebulb presents its trap while quietly waiting in the nearby foliage.
When a small creature sits upon the gorebulbs false flower—typically some kind of insect searching for pollen—the creature will immediately snap its muscular flaps shut and retract the tongue into its hungry jaws.
Gorebulbs spend the colder months in hibernation, then emerge in spring to set their traps once again.