Oryctodiles

[Sannie]

Oryctodiles are giant water-dwelling mammals, roughly the size of large buses or houseboats. They are known to populate the Golthyris Lake Sea, and have a lifespan of up to twenty years, though they are mature by the time they are two years old.

Physical Attributes



Oryctodiles have upward-pointing snouts and eyes near the tops of their heads, so that they can breathe easily without having to come out of the water. Their fur, which can range in color from greens and blues to browns and grays, is slick and waterproof due to the oil that it secretes from its glands. They have short legs which end in hooflike paws, so they can easily tuck them in when swimming. Each front foot has a dew claw, which it uses for defense. Their tails are wide, with fins on each side that it uses to help propel itself through the water. Their backs are broad and flat, which is why they are ideal for the Salinians to build their houses on.

Nomenclature
A fully grown female is called a shill. A fully grown male is called a dob.
A young female is called a searer. A young male is called a dipper.
A baby is called a tuft.

Behavior
Oryctodiles are generally docile creatures, and do not fight amongst each other. They live in groups called floats, which are almost constantly moving. Each float has a matriarch shill who cares for the whole group.
An Oryctodile will normally stay with its float for its entire life, although there are rare occasions when a young male and female will break away from the bigger group and start their own float.

Abilities
A float of Oryctodiles can swim for days without rest. When they do, they merely splay out all four legs and allow themselves to float stationary in the water, as they are highly buoyant. They can also swim underwater without needing to surface for up to four hours, as their lungs are vast enough to hold large quantities of air.

Feeding
Their diet is comprised mainly of small fish and insects that dwell near the surface of the water. They feed by opening their mouths as they swim and sucking in prey, filtering the excess water out through their noses.

Communication
Oryctodiles can make a series of musical-sounding bellows through their noses and mouths, and will often harmonize with each other.

Breeding and Rearing of Young
Oryctodile mating occurs over a span of three days, during which the pair involved will quietly float tail-to-tail in the water. The gestation period is roughly five months, after which the female will give live birth in the water.
Generally a female will give birth to only one offspring in her lifetime, although twin tufts have been known to occur. The tuft will swim alongside its mother for the first two years of its life, until it matures. It eats by first taking a gulp of air, and then swimming along underneath her to suckle.

[Hureciel]

Wow. Just wow. The details are very neatly placed, and it's pretty obvious that you invested a lot of thought into this animal, as well as the town it is associated with

[Sannie]

Hee hee thank you Cap'n! c:

[Ted]

Are you a salinian?

[Sannie]