The Chamelodent

Illustration by Lynda Richardson

Though many species of student  are very capable and eager to make themselves known to the other residents of the healthcare habitat, there are others who implement the art of stealth to avoid predation from the more fearsome species, a skill that many have mastered to the point that they are practically invisible in the ecosystem. The chamelodent is the prime example of such creatures.

Chamelodent's are fairly easy to pick out from a group of students, with the species being one of the more timid of those found in the student genus - look out for trademark signs, such as individuals not contributing significantly to discussion, despite not appearing overly tired/hungover/bored, or individuals only ever being found in lecture or clinical habitats, very rarely in common student rituals such as clubs and pub crawls. The names of individuals are often not known to a large portion of the student population, but akin to the studolphin, if recognised they are often described to be "really really lovely".

The chamelodent's  personality can vary drastically from individual to individual whilst in the presence of those considered allies or non-threatening species, but as soon as an unknown inhabitant of the healthcare habitat enters the vicinity, the chamelodent's instinctive stealth defence mechanism kicks in. Minimising noise and movement so as to not draw attention to itself, the species avoids eye contact with the intruding organism, only interacting with them if directly confronted by said organism. 

Through this method, many individuals can go undetected, especially by other student species, helping the individual avoid entering into any potentially awkward interactions with other fauna. However, this adaptive mechanism has its downsides, with individuals often finding it difficult to identify non-hostile species due to their shy, evasive nature. If a chamelodent fails to determine another species' non-hostility, they will not exert their true personality, thus preventing true social connections being formed between the individual and the other species in their ecosystem.

Another risk run by the species is how their camouflage mechanism can draw the ire of more observant predators, who may pick them out as "not contributing". Not only will this alert all others in the vicinity of their presence (thereby ruining the chamelodent's attempts at stealth ), but it can worsen the individual's anxiety towards social encounters in the future, thus further inhibiting contributions from members of the species in the future. This can be problematic for explorers working alongside chamelodents, as an extremely timid individual will offer little assistance when called upon by potential predators, forcing the explorer to answer more frequently and leaving themselves more vulnerable to attack by consultasaurus rex, doctor sphinx or trapdoor spident alike.

The best way for an explorer to get the most out of a chamelodent companion is to gently ease them out of the comfort-zone of their stealth mode, gradually helping them become more comfortable with friendly, funny conversation and promoting their inclusion in rituals or tasks within the ecosystem. The species cannot be violently pulled out of its comfort zone, and will only become more reclusive and timid if this method is attempted.

Building a strong social connection with a chamelodent is well worth the effort. As described above, once out of stealth-mode individuals can prove "really really lovely", often meaning that they contribute far more than your average student species when working on a task together and can prove to be extremely pleasant companions while exploring the healthcare habitat. Explorers must be patient in order to make the most out of working alongside the chamelodent - its well worth the wait.