Lighthouse Towers
Lighthouses are one of the more unusual members of the turris family. Known for their highly active behavior and deep symbiotic relationships with water-dwelling vessels, lighthouses provide a rare glimpse into the evolution of turrisids over recent millennia. The oldest known example of this group is the turris hercules in present-day Spain, believed to be more than 1,800 years old. While modern populations appear to be dwindling, lighthouses are highly resilient extremophiles that have established themselves in environments far too hostile for other turrisids. Next time you find yourself overlooking a rocky coastline, keep an eye out - you just might find a lighthouse!Lighthouse Behavior
Lighthouses display some of the most complex behaviors in the turris family, typically involving both visual and sonic components. While the nightly structoluminescent displays of the lighthouse are spectacular to behold, turrisologists have struggled to pin down their actual function. Most experts agree that the lights evolved in tandem with the water-dwelling vessels that thrive in the company of a lighthouse, but there is no consensus on the precise function of the relationship. They may use the lights as part of a mating ritual, or even as a means of directly communicating with the vessels in their environment. Some researchers speculate that the lights may be used to attract prey, and are only incidentally useful for the vessels in their vicinity. Occasional reports of water-dwelling vessels that appear to have evolved to host smaller lighthouses further complicate the situation - these may be parasitic microturrisids, examples of convergent evolution in vessels, or even composite organisms akin to lichen.
In heavy fog, many lighthouses emit powerful vocalizations. While some believe that these cries are actually distress calls, most researchers believe that they merely augment the function of the structoluminescence in low-visibility conditions. As with their lighting displays, each lighthouse's call is unique, making them useful navigational tools for nearby water-dwelling and land-dwelling vessels big and small. Despite lighthouse's affinity for rugged, remote environments, many individuals develop a colony of residential structids near their base, and some residential or commercial complexes will even adopt new lighthouses under the right conditions. Lighthouses are believed to be distant relatives of Air Traffic Towers due to their parallel functions in their respective ecosystems.
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Lighthouse Subspecies
While the Common Lighthouse is well-known for its round, solid body and charming striped markings, other members of the lighthouse family may surprise you! Lighthouses have adapted to a variety of marine environments, and come in many shapes and sizes! Here are some lighthouse species you might not have heard of:
- Skeletal Frame Light Towers: some of the slimmest and most common lighthouses, these species are some of the only turrisids known to relocate even after becoming fully established. They sport highly open lattice bodies and thrive in particularly difficult terrain.
- Pile Lighthouses: similar in appearance to Skeletal Frame species, Piles can be distinguished by their larger size and more developed solid organs.
- Screw-Pile Lighthouses: Pile lighthouses in environments with softer sands evolved advanced features allowing them to remain stable and thrive where less well-adapted towers would quickly perish. Screw-Pile lighthouses commonly feature hexagonal body structures, and can grow taller and wider than their Pile relatives.
- Crib Lighthouses: recognizable by their large, squared feet, Crib lighthouses need a firm foundation to thrive, such as the hard rock of the Great Lakes region, where they are particularly widespread.