An earthworm turned superhero thanks to a high-tech space suit. Giant earthworms. Natural enemies of the earthworm

Imagine that the most ordinary earthworm became long and thick, like a barrier, and began to live in a tube that he builds himself and from which only his numerous tentacles protrude. It never crawls out of its pipe and settles on the remains of vertebrate bones, rotting wrecks of sunken ships, or near hydrogen sulfide sources. It's hard to imagine such a far from earthworm, isn't it? But in nature, such organisms exist, and their name is vestimentifera.

Vestimentifera Riftia pachyptila without tube

Peter Batson

Vestimentifer worms, together with their relatives pogonophores, bone beetles and woodworms, belong to the ziboglinid family (we understand that these worms have names for an amateur). All these groups of worms belong to the sessile annelids and are descended from the same ancestor as the earthworm. Only evolution drove the earthworm into the soil, and sent ziboglinide to develop deep-sea habitats. As we have already mentioned, some vestimentifera settle near hydrothermal vents, and the conditions there are far from paradise for normal aerobic organisms. In general, vestimentifer can be considered an example of evolutionary downshifting among worms.

Let's tell a little more about the situation near hydrothermal vents, which are the cradle of life on Earth. The temperature there depends on the activity of the source and can range from +2 to +30 degrees Celsius, the reaction of the environment is acidic (pH can drop to 4.4), the chemical composition varies greatly, the concentration of hydrogen sulfide and sulfides exceeds the permissible norm for humans by 100 times ... It is either cold or hot, sour and extremely toxic for most aerobic organisms (hydrogen sulfide blocks the final enzyme of the respiratory chain). But our heroes, vestimentiferous worms, have managed to successfully adapt to the exposure to hydrogen sulfide sources and even benefit from the poisonous environment.

It should be noted that not all vestimentiferans settle near hydrothermal vents; only some representatives, such as riftia ( Riftia pachyptila) and rijjay ( Ridgeia piscesae). These worms got rid of the intestines, and almost the entire lumen of their coelom is occupied by a special organ - the trophosome. Right inside the cells of this organ live symbiotic chemoautotrophic bacteria. Such bacteria use the hydrosulfide ion (HS -) as an oxidation source, the electrons released during oxidation enter the electron transport chain, and ultimately ATP is formed - the universal energy currency of living beings (at least on Earth).

All nutrition of our vestimentifera is built on symbiotic relationships with chemoautotrophic bacteria: worms provide symbionts with living space, provide sulfide, and in return receive ready-made organic matter in the form of succinate and glutamate. The question arises: how to transport toxic sulfides through your body in order to "feed" the bacteria? In this case, riftia and ridgea have altered hemoglobin. The enzyme chains in these worms are equipped with cysteine ​​residues that can bind to hydrogen sulfide and transport it throughout the body (they have no problems with oxygen transfer).

Transmission electron microscope electron diffraction pattern of riftia trophosome bacteria

Nadezhda Rimskaya-Korsakova

In addition, recently at the Department of Invertebrate Zoology of the Biological Faculty of Moscow State University, we studied the circulatory system of riftia, a giant record holder among vestimentifera, and revealed a number of characteristic features that are not characteristic of other annelids. Riftia has a well-developed lacunar system that drains the main organ systems (including the trophosome, where symbiont bacteria live), the main vessels through which blood is pushed to the upper end of the worm's body are additionally lined with a layer of muscle tissue.

In addition, two vascular systems are connected in the tentacle zone of the riftia, due to which blood flows to the tentacles both through the basal and axial vessels. An additional vascular system allowed the rift to acquire as many as 400 pairs of tentacle-bearing lamellae (in other vestimentifera, their number does not exceed 70).

Scheme of the blood supply of vestimentifera riftia

Nadezhda Rimskaya-Korsakova

Thus, altered hemoglobin and a strengthened circulatory system allowed the earthworm family to become resistant to a strong toxin, switch entirely to symbiotic nutrition and master a niche unsuitable for life.

Literature

Tunnicliffe, V., Germain, C. S., & Hilario, A. Phenotypic variation and fitness in a metapopulation of tubeworms (Ridgeia piscesae Jones) at hydrothermal vents // PloS one, 2014. - 9(10).

Bright, M., and F. H. Lallier. The biology of vestimentiferan tubeworms // Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Annu. Rev., 2010 (48). - Pp. 211–264.

Bailly, X., & Vinogradov, S. The sulfide binding function of annelid hemoglobins: relic of an old biosystem? // Journal of inorganic biochemistry, 2005. - 99(1). - Pp. 142-150.

Rimskaya-Korsakova, N. N., Galkin, S. V., & Malakhov, V. V. The anatomy of the blood vascular system of the giant vestimentiferan tubeworm Riftia pachyptila (Siboglinidae, Annelida) // Journal of Morphology, 2017. - 278(6). - Pp. 810-827.

Nadezhda Rimskaya-Korsakova,
candidate of biological sciences,
Leading Researcher, Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov

Earthworms, soil and ancient buildings

Let us return to the early years of Darwin's life. On November 1, 1837, a meeting of the London Geological Society took place. C. Darwin makes a report "On the formation of the vegetative layer".

He talked about the fact that earthworms, the existence of which many do not notice, play a huge role in the formation of the soil layer.

Almost half a century has passed. On May 1, 1881, Darwin sent to the printers the manuscript of his latest work on the role of worms in nature. Darwin did not lose interest in this topic and completed it together with his three sons: William, Francis and Horace.

For many months in Darwin's office, worms lived in earth-filled pots.

He watched them day and night in the dim light.

What interesting creatures - earthworms! Being underground animals, they cannot stay in the water for a long time: after heavy rains, you can see many of their corpses. Earthworms do not have eyes, but they distinguish light from darkness. In bright light, they quickly hide in minks.

They are completely deaf.

One day Darwin invited the worms to listen to music. They played the piano very loudly. The worms remained calm in their pots on a chair leaning against the piano keys.

The pots were placed on the piano and thumped loudly in the bass. The worms immediately disappeared into the burrows.

Did you finally hear? This was not the reason for the disappearance of the worms. Darwin varied these experiments and found that worms are sensitive to shock transmitted from object to object, through the board of the piano, the saucer, the bottom of the pot and wet soil.

The worms preferred green cabbage leaves to red ones; willingly ate pieces of onion, rotten meat. But they refused sage and mint leaves.

Leaves, pieces of paper and other objects were attached to the earth of pots with worms. And at night Darwin watched the worms handle them. They did not touch the veins of the leaves, turning the leaf into a skeleton.

Worms plug their minks with various objects. They drag everything that gets: feathers, horse hair, a tuft of wool. Darwin saw seventeen leaf petioles sticking out of one mink.

One eyewitness told Darwin the following: one quiet and damp evening he heard a loud noise under a tree in his garden. It was autumn... the evening was dark. With a candle, the narrator went out into the garden and saw that many worms were dragging dry leaves, squeezing them into their minks. They protect their minks and needles, which again was observed by Darwin and Francis at night.

Earthworms are ubiquitous on soils rich in organic matter, but are not found at all on sandy soils.

The mink of an earthworm, the excrement left by it in the form of a pile, the digestive apparatus of the worm reveal a majestic picture of the participation of small creatures - earthworms and other invertebrates - in the soil-forming process.

Innumerable hordes of them are constantly digging in the ground. The intestinal canal of an earthworm is filled with earth. Its excrement remains on the surface of the soil.

Earthworms plow, loosen and mix the soil. They ventilate it and prepare it "like a gardener" for plants.

"The bones of dead animals, the hard parts of insects, the shells of terrestrial mollusks, leaves, branches, etc., are buried in the shortest possible time under the excrement accumulating above them and, thus, in a more or less decomposed state, move closer to the roots of plants." All this is moistened with liquid secretions of the intestinal canal and urinary secretions.

So, with the assistance of worms, a dark fertile layer of soil is formed.

Darwin calculated that worms could work up to ten tons of earth per acre.

The penetration of air into the depths of the soil enhances the processes of oxidation of rocks lying under the soil.

Darwin says that it would be more correct to call the soil not the vegetative layer, but the animal layer of the earth.

Worms bury various objects on the surface of the earth under their excrement.

A meadow was plowed up in Shrewsbury and many iron arrowheads dating back to the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403 were found in the furrows.

The old ruins of castles, abbeys, over time, are covered with a layer of earth overgrown with herbs. The sod layer gradually increases. Earthworms played a significant role in the burial of many ancient buildings in England. They undermined and abraded the walls, contributed to the creation of a surface layer suitable for plant life.

"Archaeologists probably don't know how much they owe worms," ​​says Darwin, "for the preservation of so many ancient objects." Coins, stone tools, gold jewelry, falling on the ground, in uninhabited places are buried by worms.

Variation of the tendril of wild grapes

Spring tendril

Darwin in the last years of his life

Ground column of worm excrement

earthworms

In Darwin's time, soil was viewed as a dead mineral body.

Darwin was the first to point out the role of animals in soil formation. As in his other works, in this work he also shows the great importance of repeating phenomena, no matter how small they may be.

The activity of one worm is not great, but in nature there are an innumerable number of worms, and their activity has been going on for hundreds of thousands of years.

This last great work of Darwin - "The formation of the vegetative layer of the earth by the activity of earthworms and observations of their way of life" - was an amazing success: the book was written surprisingly vividly, and the objects discussed were familiar to everyone, the conclusions were given broad and, together with those did not directly and directly affect religious feelings.

And, finally, it was very interesting to take a completely new look at the well-known earthworms, which were treated as low, unpleasant and even nasty creatures. One reviewer wrote: "In the eyes of most ... the earthworm is just a blind, stupid, insensible and unpleasantly slimy annelids. Mr. Darwin rehabilitated his character, and the earthworm immediately appeared as an intelligent and beneficent person, making huge geological changes, tearing up mountain slopes ... a friend of humanity... and a member of the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments."

It is now known that bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms play the main role in the soil-forming process, and not earthworms, as Darwin thought. But, of course, the activity of worms, insects, especially ants, and vertebrates is also important. Mice, hamsters, ground squirrels, moles, marmots, toads, sometimes lizards and snakes are all participants in the process of soil formation.

Only some of Darwin's works have been named here. He also owns many other works on zoology, geology and botany, many articles and notes in journals.

Origin of the species and description

Lumbricina belong to the suborder of oligochaetes and belong to the order Haplotaxida. The best-known European species belong to the family Lumbricidae, which has about 200 species. The benefits of earthworms were first noted by the English naturalist Charles Darwin in 1882.

When it rains, earthworms' burrows fill with water and they are forced to crawl out to the surface due to lack of air. Hence the name of the animals. In the structure of the soil, they occupy a very important place, enriching the soil with humus, saturating it with oxygen, and significantly increasing productivity.

Video: Earthworm

Interesting fact: Initially, only a few species were widely distributed. The expansion of the range occurred as a result of human introduction.

Invertebrates easily adapt to any territory and climate, but feel most comfortable in coniferous zones. In summer they are located closer to the surface, but in the winter season they sink deeper.

What does an earthworm eat?

Animals eat the half-rotted remains of plants that enter the mouth apparatus along with the earth. During passage through the midgut, the soil mixes with organic matter. The excrement of invertebrates contains 5 times more nitrogen, 7 times more phosphorus, 11 times more potassium than soil.

The diet of earthworms includes rotting animal remains, lettuce, manure, insects, watermelon peels. Alkaline and acidic substances are avoided by beings. The type of worm also affects taste preferences. Nocturnal individuals, justifying their name, look for food after dark. The veins are left, eating only the flesh of the leaf.

Having found food, the animals begin to dig the soil, holding the find in their mouths. They prefer to mix food with the ground. Many species, such as red worms, are poisoned to the surface to search for food. When the content of organic matter in the soil decreases, individuals begin to look for more suitable conditions for life and migrate to survive.

Interesting fact: During the day, the earthworm eats as much as it weighs itself.

Due to their slowness, individuals do not have time to absorb vegetation on the surface, so they drag food inside, saturating it with organic matter, and store it there, allowing their fellows to eat it. Some individuals pull out a separate storage burrow for food and, if necessary, visit there. Thanks to the tooth-like protrusions in the stomach, the food is ground inside into small particles.

The spineless leaves are used not only for food, but also cover the entrance to the hole with them. To do this, they drag wilted flowers, stems, feathers, scraps of paper, bundles of wool to the entrance. Sometimes leaf petioles or feathers can stick out of the entrances.

Features of character and lifestyle

Earthworms - mostly. First of all, it provides security. Creatures dig minks in the ground from a depth of 80 centimeters. Larger species break through tunnels up to 8 meters deep, due to which the soil is mixed and moistened. Soil particles are pushed apart by animals or swallowed.

With the help of mucus, invertebrates move even in the hardest ground. They should not be under the sun for a long time, as this threatens the worms with death. Their skin is very thin and dries out quickly. Ultraviolet has a detrimental effect on the covers, so you can see animals only in cloudy weather.

The suborder prefers to lead a nocturnal lifestyle. In the dark, you can meet clusters of creatures on the ground. Leaning out, they leave part of the body underground, scouting the situation. If nothing scared them, the creatures completely get out of the ground and look for food.

The body of invertebrates tends to stretch well. A lot of bristles are bent, protecting the body from external influences. Pulling a whole worm out of a mink is very difficult. The animal defends itself and clings to the edges of the mink with bristles, so it is easy to tear it.

The benefits of earthworms are difficult to overestimate. In winter, in order not to hibernate, they sink deep underground. With the advent of spring, the soil warms up and individuals begin to circulate along dug passages. With the first warm days, they begin their labor activity.

Social structure and reproduction

Animals are hermaphrodites. Reproduction occurs sexually, by cross-fertilization. Each individual that has reached puberty has female and male genital organs. Worms are connected by mucous membranes and exchange spermatozoa.

Interesting fact: Mating invertebrates can last up to three consecutive hours. During the courtship period, individuals climb into each other's holes and mate 17 times in a row. Each sexual intercourse lasts at least 60 minutes.

The reproductive system is located in front of the body. Spermatozoa are located in the seminal receptacles. During mating, cells on the 32nd segment secrete mucus, which subsequently forms an egg cocoon, fed by a protein fluid for the embryo. The secretions are converted into a mucous membrane.

The spineless lay eggs in it. The embryos are born in 2-4 weeks and are stored in a cocoon, reliably protected from any influences. After 3-4 months, they grow to adult size. Most often, one cub is born. Life expectancy reaches 6-7 years.

The Taiwanese species Amynthas catenus in the process of evolution lost its genitals and they reproduce through parthenogenesis. So they pass on 100% of their genes to their descendants, as a result of which identical individuals are born - clones. So the parent acts as both father and mother.

Natural enemies of the earthworm

These include:

• small predators;
• amphibians;
• centipedes;
• birds;
• horseleech.

Moles eat earthworms in large quantities. They are known to stock up in their burrows for the winter and these are mostly made up of earthworms. bite off the spineless head or severely damage it so that it does not crawl away until the torn off part is regenerated. The most delicious for moles is a large red worm.

Moles are especially dangerous for invertebrates due to their large numbers. Small mammals prey on worms. Voracious frogs lie in wait for individuals at their holes and attack at night as soon as their head appears above the ground. Birds cause great damage to the population.

Thanks to their keen eyesight, they can see the ends of worms sticking out of their holes. Every morning, birds in search of food pull the spineless from the entrances with their sharp beaks. Birds feed not only on adults, but also pick up cocoons with eggs.

Horse leeches found in various water bodies, including puddles, do not attack humans or large animals due to blunt jaws. They cannot bite through thick skin, but they can easily swallow a worm. At autopsy, undigested remains of worms were found in the stomachs of predators.

Population and species status

In normal uncontaminated soil on arable farms, there can be from one hundred thousand to one million worms. Their total weight can be from one hundred to a thousand kilograms per hectare of land. Vermiculturing farmers grow their own populations for greater soil fertility.

Worms help to process organic waste into biohumus, which is a high-quality fertilizer. Farmers are increasing the mass of invertebrates to feed them for farm animals and birds. To increase the number of worms, prepare compost from organic waste. Fishermen use spineless to catch fish.

In the study of ordinary chernozem, three species of earthworms were found: Dendrobaena octaedra, Eisenia nordenskioldi and E. fetida. The first in a square meter of virgin land were 42 units, arable land - 13. Eisenia fetida was not found in virgin lands, in arable land - in the amount of 1 individual.

In different habitats, the number varies greatly. In the water meadows of the city, 150 ind./m2 were found. In the mixed forest - 12221 ind./m2. Pine forest - 1696 ind./m2. In the mountain forests in 1950 there were 350 thousand specimens per m2.

Protection of earthworms

The following 11 species are listed:

• Allolobophora green-headed;
• Allolobophora is shade-loving;
• Allolobophora serpentine;
• Eizeniya Gordeeva;
• Eisenia Muganskaya;
• Eisenia is magnificent;
• Eizeniy Malevich;
• Eisenia salairskaya;
• Eisenia Altai;
• Eisenia Transcaucasus;
• Dendrobena is pharyngeal.

People are engaged in the relocation of worms to those territories where there are not enough of them. Animals successfully pass acclimatization. This procedure is called zoological reclamation and allows not only to preserve, but also to increase the population of creatures.

In areas where numbers are too low, it is recommended to limit the impact from agricultural activities. Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides has a detrimental effect on reproduction, as well as cutting down trees and grazing livestock. Gardeners add organic matter to the soil, improving the conditions for the life of invertebrates.

Earthworm is a collective animal and communicates by touch. So the herd decides in which direction to move each of its members. This discovery indicates the sociality of worms. So when you take a worm and move it to another place, you may be sharing it with relatives or friends.

I came across giant earthworms. It turns out, for example, in Australia (in the Gippsland region, Victoria), the world's largest oligochaete worms are found, their length can exceed several meters.

The Australian giant earthworm (lat. Megascolides australis) is one of the species of oligochaete worms belonging to the Megascolid family, which are distributed only in Australia. The species is not only the largest representative in the family, but also the largest underground invertebrate on our planet.

And even more…

The species is not only the largest representative in the family, but also the largest underground invertebrate on our planet.

Photo 3.

Giant worms were discovered and described back in 1878 by the explorer and biologist Frederick McCoy. Then their habitat and, accordingly, the number was much larger, but now they are found exclusively in moist clay soils along the course of the Bass River, the total area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe modern range has decreased to 40,000 hectares

The size of an adult individual can, to put it mildly, impress: 1.5-3 meters in length, 2-4 cm in girth with a weight of about 700 grams. From afar, it is not at all difficult to confuse the Australian giant earthworm with a snake, only when you get closer do you notice the characteristic rings-segments inherent in all earthworms. The number of the latter reaches 300 pieces.

Photo 4.

Despite the fact that the number of Megascolides australis has declined sharply in the past few decades, in some places the soils are simply teeming with them: up to 10 individuals can be found in one cubic meter of soil. But Australian worms rarely get to the surface - everything you need for food and mating partners can be found underground. The presence of a worm underground is easy to recognize by a very characteristic loud sound, similar to crackling - this noise arises from the friction of the body against the hard and slippery walls of the tunnels.

Photo 5.

According to scientists, the rapid decline in the population of Megascolides australis is facilitated by their extremely slow metagenesis - with a total life expectancy of 10 years, puberty occurs only at the age of 5 years. In other words, Australian earthworms simply do not have time to adapt to changing environmental conditions.

Under the ground, worms build complex and extensive systems of passages in which they spend their entire lives. There they feed on roots and organic matter, although occasionally they can eat plants, crawling to the surface.

Interestingly, when moving, the giant worm makes loud gurgling or smacking sounds. This sometimes helps researchers locate the worm.

Australian giant worms live only in Gippsland. This rural area of ​​Victoria (Australia) has an area of ​​1000 square meters. km. However, suitable habitat for giant worms is only part of this area. Worms inhabit very small areas, usually clay soil near water bodies. Usually the density of adult worms is about two individuals per cubic meter of soil.

Previously, the south of Gippsland was covered with dense eucalyptus forests. However, after settlement, this area was cleared of trees for agriculture. Due to the constant cultivation of the soil, the number of giant worms has sharply decreased. They remained in the soil only in small, isolated areas of this forest, as well as in the west of Gippsland.

Due to the fact that the Australian giant earthworms have a low growth rate and live in a limited range, scientists today classify them as a vulnerable species.

Spring and summer are the main periods for breeding. These worms are hermaphrodites, which means that adults have both male and female reproductive systems. But for fertilization, a couple is still needed. Moreover, each of them then lays eggs in a special cocoon, which he himself creates.

Photo 6.

For full maturation and development, the eggs of a giant earthworm take as much as a whole year! The young growth is an exact copy of the parents, only they are a little let down in size - only some 20 cm. After 5 years, they reach their maximum size and can already breed.

Australian giant earthworms are protected by the state. In their honor, even an annual festival was organized - "Karmai" (as the natives call the worm).

But that's not all honors. The Attraction Museum was built in his honor in 1985. It is a huge 100-meter building in the form of an earthworm.

Photo 7.

But there are huge worms not only in Australia. Here, for example, is a worm from Ecuador: weight 500 grams, length 1.5 meters, origin - the foothills of the volcano (Sumaco, Ecuador)

• We will search among the characters of the fandom

Character groups

Total characters - 100

Alan Barnes

0 0 0

Divorce lawyer, father of Emma Barnes. Was previously friends with Danny Ebert.

Alek (Regent)

13 3 4

"The most useless" of the Informals.

Abilities: Controls body parts and fragments of other people's perceptions from a distance. With prolonged contact, it can completely subjugate a person and control him like a doll.

Classification: Lord 8

5 3 0

Very smart, well-read, perfect memory, quick reaction, almost complete invulnerability, flight, strength.

Bonesaw

16 2 1

Member of the group "Slaughterhouse Number Nine". The strongest biological Technician, able to create bio-mechanical structures with her own super-powers. Often appears accompanied by biomechanical "spiders", the size of a dog; Capes she captures and turns into "zombies".

An expert in neuroanatomy, she enslaves and alters capes. Has a limited ability to resurrect the dead, which she used to create her "zombies".

She made the bodies of vulnerable members of the group invulnerable, put a special mesh under the skin, made protective shells around the internal organs. She can not be killed, and almost impossible to cripple. You can cut off her hands, but it won't be for long.

Annette Hebert

0 0 0

A beautiful, smart woman. Taylor's mother, wife of Danny Ebert, who considered himself unworthy of her. Died in a car accident before the story begins, while calling her daughter.

She played the flute.

Aster Anders

0 0 0

Daughter of Kaden and Max Anders.

1 1 0

Companion Luna.

techie. Specialization: making bombs, grenades.

She was able to create a grenade that bypasses the Manton effect and is able to distort the space in the explosion area, including people.

0 0 0

A smart supervillain who can come up with a plan to achieve any goal. He used to work for the PRT, but they did not appreciate his potential, forcing him to do tedious bookkeeping after the Balance created a long-term plan in twenty-six hours to save the Third World from hunger.

He is obsessed with harmony, politeness and order to the point of mania, nevertheless, when necessary, he keeps himself in hand.

Ballistic (Luke Casseus)

0 0 0

It is enough to touch something for it to fly tens of meters forward at great speed. Regardless of the size and weight of the item.

Experiencing problems with power control - the damage from it is too large, more than he would like.

Shielder (Eric Pelham)

0 0 0

Son of Lady Photon and younger brother of Laser Show.

In the Pelham family, it was Barrier who had the best force fields, but had almost no ability to fly and his laser shots were weak.

Battery (Jamie)

0 0 0

Her ability allows her to accumulate energy when she stops and concentrates. Every second in charge mode gives her several seconds in boost mode, in addition, in this mode, she is physically stronger and can use electromagnetic forces.

Classification: Engine, Kink

Behemoth

5 1 0

Destroyer.

Abilities: 15 meters tall, heavy-duty skin and armor, colossal physical strength, corresponding to the dimensions. Dynamokinetic - manages energy. Able to create giant lightning, heat and flames, sound that turns organs into mush, shock waves, radiation. Can redirect energy from any blow. Surrounded by a killing aura, within which his powers bypass Manton's effect and are capable of incinerating the body of any human or cape.

Dauntless

1 0 0

A rising star in Brockton Bay.

His ability allows him to put a little bit of power into his equipment every day. Each such improvement is saved forever. Every day he just gets a little stronger than he was the day before, a little more versatile.

Signature equipment: Lightning spear, shield, boots imbued with white energy.

It was expected that someday he would surpass even Alexandria, Legend and Eidolon - the "triumvirate" of the Protectorate, the big shots. This made him very famous in Brockton Bay, a real hero of his hometown.

0 0 0

Izlom-Skrytnik class cape. It can transform into a compact telekinetic storm.

Victoria Dallon (Glory Girl)

5 5 0

Second generation cape, never experienced a trigger in her life. Daughter of Mark and Carol Dallon, adoptive sister of Amy Dallon (Panacea). One of the few capes whose identities are known to the general public.

Vista (Missy)

6 0 1

Epicenter 9. Large-scale spatial distortions (“She can stretch a building like a toffee so that it becomes twice as high, or reduce the distance between two sidewalks so that she can cross the street in one step”)

The Manton effect prevents her from squeezing and stretching people.

The youngest member of the guards - she is only 12 years old.

He is very kind to his friends, even acts for them as something like a field psychotherapist.

Allfather (Richard Anders)

0 0 0

Father of Max Anders, founder of the racist criminal group "Empire 88"

Coil (Tomas Calvert)

7 2 0

The most ambitious supervillain in Brockton Bay, employer and sponsor of the Informals, Drifters and several other supervillain groups.

Using force, he begins to live in two (but no more) parallel realities. If something goes wrong in one, he “collapses” it, finding himself in another reality, where events are more successful. At the same time, knowledge from the “collapsed” reality is preserved.

Wears a black suit with a green snake.

Garotte (Sveta Karelia)

0 0 0

A girl made up of tentacles a little less than full. Can easily and accidentally tear a person to pieces.

One of the "Case 53".

Genesis (Jess)

2 0 0

Werewolf. Can create a new body for himself and control it while sleeping. One of the group "Wanderers".

Gregor the Snail

1 0 0

Cape, who became a monster after gaining powers. Works with the Crack team, Was once found amnesiac and with a strange tattoo on his shoulder.

Can create various chemicals in his huge stomach and release them in a stream through his skin. Adhesives, lubricants, strong acids, etc.

One of the defendants in Case 53.

0 0 0

Companion Luna. Teleports, leaving controlled projections that last for a few seconds.

Danny Hebert

0 3 0

The father of the main character. Lost his wife. Hot-tempered like his father, but made a promise to himself never to scream in front of Taylor.

Jack Slash

6 2 0

One of the few capes not wearing masks. Supervillain, sadist, maniac, murderer. A worthy member of the Slaughterhouse Number Nine group.

His motto is - I will cut, I will beat, everyone who met - do not live.

Can expand the blade of the knife as much as you like.

He feels how and when he will be attacked.

Jessica Yamada

2 1 0

A parahuman psychotherapist in the employ of the Protectorate. You can say - a maniac of his craft.

Dinah Alcott

3 0 0

Soothsayer kidnapped by Quirk, niece of the Mayor of Brockton Bay, Triumph's cousin.

Ability: determining the likelihood of certain events.

Classification: Smart

Dr. Mother

1 0 0

Doctor who knows a lot about the origin of superpowers

9 0 0

The best technician in the world. Works with the Brockton Bay Protectorate, maintains the "Bauman Center for Parahumans", in other words, the Cage - serving as a prison for parahumans.

Can analyze the projects of other Techies, and implement their ideas in his designs.

Cherish (Cherie Vasil)

0 0 0

Empathy, Heartthrob's daughter, Regent's sister. Can feel other people's emotions. If it causes some emotions in people, then it causes dependence on these emotions and on oneself. I wanted to go to Slaughterhouse Number Nine. And she got her way.

Kaiser (Max Anders)

0 0 0

The leader of the "Empire 88" group, a true Aryan and racist, a bad character, divorced.

Creates metal of any shape, length and volume on surfaces.

Ex-husband of Caden Anders (Purities), father of Astra and Theo Anders.

Canary (Paige Mcabee)

0 0 1

One of the few cape rogues who did not become either villains or heroes. Singer. A girl with rare feathers in her hair.

Classification: Overlord 8

People feel good about her singing, they begin to obey the Canary after they listen to her songs.

After one of her concerts, she ran into her ex, who tried to blackmail her. She told him to "go to hell", he obeyed and because of this, Canary ended up in a Cage (prison for parahumans) with a life sentence.

Contessa

3 2 0

A mysterious girl in a pantsuit and a wide-brimmed hat on her head. She has a very powerful gift of clairvoyance - she sees the path to victory, which allows her to defeat almost any opponent in any conditions. Works for Kotel.

2 1 0

The most monstrous member of the Slaughterhouse Nine faction, Bully, looms over the rest. Three meters long, with a head the size of a small car. He combined the most pronounced features of a bear and a panther. Curvy, lithe, bristling menacingly, covered in muscle. Armor plates cover it almost everywhere, and where the armor prevents it from being flexible, spikes and coarse hair stick out. Painted black from head to toe, it shimmered under the rays of light like an oil slick. Hundreds of black studded bulges run the length of its body, covering its armor plates. Acrid poison drips from the mouth, with protruding fangs of different lengths. Perhaps most unnerving were its six legs, with few articulations at the knee or elbow, and a pair of large limbs that looked like a pair of sabers. The claws on each paw, no less sharp, connected with the tentacles on the back four legs, and the front long, like human, hands.

Kid Win (Chris)

2 0 0

A boy-hero, from the "Guardians" team, studies in Arcadia.

A techie, skateboarding, armed with laser pistols, has access to high-tech equipment. Suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder - very few of his inventions can complete. So, he was able to finish the flying skate only thanks to a special medicine prescribed by a psychotherapist.

Hook wolf

0 0 0

Brutal 7, Werewolf 4. Transforms his body into a wolf-like body and is equipped with jagged blades, spikes and hooks that rotate and move relative to each other at an incredibly high speed.

1 0 1

Lord 6. Create and manage costumes and stuffed animals with great durability and strength.

Carol Dallon (Brandish)

0 0 0

Mother of Victoria Dallon and wife of Mark Dallon. Superheroine. Sister of Sarah Pelham (Lady Photon). Adoptive mother of Amy Dallon, who barely agreed to accept the latter into the family.

Included in the "New Wave" - ​​an association of superheroes Brockton Bay. He wears a white suit with orange symbols. She can form energy into weapons and transform herself into a nearly invulnerable sphere, but cannot move at will in this form.

Labyrinth (Elle)

1 0 0

The girl from the Crack team. Suffering from a mental disorder.

Once, like Ozhog, she was in a psychiatric hospital.

Able to create worlds that he imagines or thinks about.

She was used to get close to Burn.

Difficult to classify as a Villain, but the activities of her team in which she takes part often break the law.

She escaped from the "bad place" at the same time as that one.

Laserdream (Crystal Pelham)

0 0 0

Crystal Pelham, daughter of Neil and Sarah Pelham, superhero, New Wave member, Barrier's older sister.

Abilities: Flying, creating force fields around her, and firing laser beams from her hands, her lasers and flying abilities were quite strong, but the force fields were not very strong.

5 1 0

Destroyer. Second of three.

Primary Ability: Hydrokinesis.

A huge monster that looks like a man. Not the strongest of the Slayers, not the most cunning.

6 0 0

Superhero, one of the few superheroes correct from all sides. Creates lasers of enormous destructive power, can change their trajectory as he pleases. Flies, can accelerate to the speed of sound. He can see with perfect clarity everything that was not blocked from his view by obstacles or the atmosphere. If an opponent attacks and strikes, the Legend instinctively changes into its energy form for a fraction of a second, absorbing kinetic energy, including impact or bullets.

Lady Photon (Sarah Pelham)

0 0 0

The leader of the New Wave, after the founding of the New Wave and the revelation of their identities, journalists clung to the image of a superhero mother and nicknamed her Photon Mom. This nickname annoyed her greatly, which was known to everyone who followed the news about the capes.

Wife of Neil Pelham, mother of Laser Show and Barrier. Sister Carol Dalon.

Abilities: flying, creating force fields around him and firing laser beams from his hands. Abilities are balanced.

1 2 0

Werewolf. The longer you stay in combat, the stronger it becomes:

1. feelings are aggravated;

2. regeneration is enhanced;

3. increases the strength of the skin (up to fouling with armor with blades on the fingers);

4. increases in size;

In addition, he possesses pyrokinesis and resistance to fire.

Mannequin (Alan Gramme)

0 0 0

One of the members of the Slaughterhouse Number Nine group. A techie, originally known as the Sphere.

Specialty: life support.

Mark Dallon

0 0 0

Superhero, one of the founders of the Brockton Bay Brigade, which later became the New Wave team of adult superheroes.

Father of Victoria Dallon and adoptive father of Amy Dallon. Husband of Carol Dallon.

Abilities: Can create bouncing orbs of energy that trigger with a shock or burst action.

He wears a padded white suit with a green and yellow grenade exploding graphic, and a helmet.

2 1 0

A supervillain who can control the bones of his body as he pleases - growing, throwing out of himself. For a long time he ruled a significant territory of Brockton Bay.

Manpower (Neil Pelham)

0 0 0

One of the Brockton Bay Brigade, later reborn as the New Wave superhero union.

Husband of Lady Photon, father of Laser Show and Barrier. The electromagnetic boost gives him super strength and stamina. Wears a white and yellow costume with a stylized lightning bolt, was killed in the Slayer Arc (8). Bouncer Teams

Menja (Nessa Biermann)

0 0 0

Heavyweight fighter of the racist group "Empire 88". She and her twin sister Fenya wore Valkyrie-style armor adorned with countless steel wings. Their faces were covered with helmets. These two could grow to the height of a three-story building, and in this state they became a hundred times less vulnerable.

Blonde with Playboy model figure.

Miss Militia

2 0 0

"Summons" a weapon from nowhere.

Prefers to use firearms, but is known to be able to transform them into melee weapons as well.

Mr. Gladly

0 0 0

Teacher at Winslow School. One of those teachers who tries to make the lessons "interesting", for example by arranging a mock trial.

He witnessed the bullying of Taylor, and even offered her his help a couple of times, but Taylor did not help, catching her offenders holding Taylor in the corridor.