Polyp Harvester
A little regarded but valuable profession in Tempus and other cities around Kyrophis are polyp harvesters. These people harvest the larval forms of various cnidarians grown artificially. Polyp Fields are common in large cities and rural settlements, and can take over half of a city's territory.
Polyp harvesters are most common around Tempus, the Polyp Fields spreading over 5% of Taara's shell. Polyps harvested are packaged and sold at marketplaces, which remain open at all times in vibrant bustling city-squares.
Operations & Tools
Polyp harvesters usually work out of a small house and a large farm. The hard work gives terrible pay, as polyps can be mass produced by large companies with little effort. Nevertheless, some push through to keep this tradition alive. Polyp harvesters use a range of tools to harvest these cnidarians.
Polyps come in many forms, and different tools are designed for different methods, such as prying polyps off hard surfaces, or breaking large corals down, which are made of thousands of polyps. Coral crushers are a type of mallet designed to smash up large chunks of coral. Small coral files are used to break these smaller pieces down into individual polyps.
Appropriate clothing is important when harvesting polyps. In Medusozoan Polyp Fields, fully grown jellyfish are common and kephalons are at risk of their stinging tentacles. Thick gloves are worn on each tentacle, ensuring protection while still being able to operate tools.
Place of Work
Polyp harvesters work tirelessly in expansive Polyp Fields. Large patches of overgrown coral sit within a ring of crystalline fences. Typically, one polyp harvester will operate a field, but family-owned farms aren't uncommon. Farmers will also live on their farms in small houses on its boundaries.
Due to the incredibly slow rate of certain polyp growths, farmers take great care in the cleanliness of their land. Houses are kept in pristine conditions and pathways are tended to. Most farmers will also decorate their land as much as they can, reusing whatever waste materials they can to construct architectural masterpieces as a symbol of their personal farms.
Types of Polyps
The phylum Cnidaria can be broken down into two subphylums, Anthozoa and Medusozoa. Anthozoans remain as polyps throughout their life, including sea anemones and corals. Medusozoans progress from polyps to medusas, such as jellyfish.
Anthozoa
Anthozoans make up approximately 70% of polyp farms, due to them remaining as polyps throughout their entire lives. Corals are the most common Anthozoans to be grown - Kyrophian corals can grow to remarkable sizes compared to sea anemones.
The largest coral species on Kyrophis is the titan seascale coral, reaching up to a hundred metres in diameter.
Medusozoa
Less common than their cousins, Medusozoans are still popular organisms to grow and harvest. This diverse subphylum contains many jellyfish serving as crucial ingredients to many medicines and drugs.
The most popular jellyfish is the kyrophian sun jelly. These true jellies, in the class Scyphozoa, glow a bright yellow and its polyps are used in many cultural foods.
Sounds like a thankless job, really, but I love that it is a thing. ^_^ I kind of want a family polyp farm.
I feel bad for some polyp farmers, but the job is quite fun. I want to draw some of the polyps, or polyp fields, soon :)