Creature Creation Challenge #18

[Malkuthe Highwind]

Creature Creation Challenge
This challenge explores one facet of worldbuilding: creature creation, as the title says. Whether or not you're a worldbuilder, at one point or another, you're bound to create different kinds of flora and fauna for your world. This challenge brings two new things to the table: first, all the submissions for this challenge will be put into a "bestiary" of sorts in the Worldbuilder's Guild which will be a resource for yourself and anyone who needs creatures for their worlds; second, every week, there will be a different difficulty for the challenge. ​

Difficulty Levels, #7bd181

Difficulty 1

- build a creature around a specific theme

Difficulty 2

- build a creature with a specific body part around a specific theme

Difficulty 3

- build a creature to fit a specific role in an ecosystem with a specific body part around a specific theme

Difficulty 4

- build a creature based upon an animal on earth to fit a specific role in an ecosystem with a specific body part around a specific theme

Difficulty 5

- build a creature that will survive in a specific environment based upon an animal on earth and fit a specific role in an ecosystem with a specific body part around a specific theme.

This Week's Difficulty, #7bd181

Build a creature that will survive in a specific environment based upon an animal on earth and fit a specific role in an ecosystem with a specific body part around a specific theme.​

Criteria, #7bd181

Theme: Savage
Body Part: Slit-pupils
Role: Top of the Food Chain
Animal Basis: Shark
Environment: Deep-sea

Creature Template, #7bd181

Feel free to use this following template for your creatures. You can add on to it or remove things from it as you wish or not use it at all.

Name:
Appearance:
Role: Predator/prey/producer
Habitat:
Life-span:
Sentient: Yes/No
Sapient: Yes/No
Means of Sustenance:
Favourite Food Source:
Major Competition:
Mating Rituals: Courtship rituals, mating grounds, mating season, et cetera
Reproduction: you can include period of gestation
Organization: does this creature travel in packs or herds, or is it a solitary creature that only meets with members of its species for the mating season?
Other:

---

The Bestiary​

 

[Novum Genus]

Name: Siculique maris anguis, or the Eel-shark.

Appearance: Long, narrow. About 16 feet long, 3 feet wide, 4 foot height. Scales are colored similar to the color of water they are in, and they are all dull. No reflection, and it makes an excellent underwater camouflage. Imagine a large eel, except more rounded, with fins spaced about every 4 feet, and intelligent green eyes.

Role: Apex Predator, Competing for

Habitat: Ocean, deep salt waters.

Life-span: 2 years until maturity is reached, 3 years until prime is reached, 10 years until average death.

Sentient: Somewhat. They have a good mind for strategy, went hunting in a pack.

Sapient: No

Means of Sustenance: Other sharks, large fish, etc. They consider human odd, but exotic and tasty.

Favourite Food Source: Great White. Whale Shark.

Major Competition: Other sharks.

Mating Rituals: Similar to that of a human. There is no real predictable pattern, as they decide based on past knowledge, knowledge 'taught' to them from their parents, and on the current conditions. If they fancy a particular female, then they are going to follow her, and show how well he can provide for her, etc etc.

Reproduction: Eggs. They have some amount of bouyancy, so they float about 20 feet below the water, varying by a couple depending on the density of the water.

Organization: There are often 'colonies' of these, with numbers up to 50. When they are attacked, they can prove to be very, very dangerous. Surrounding the enemy, whether it be a shark, boat, whatever, and then the one that is in the attacker's blindside will dart in and either curl itself around the creature to restrain and restrict it, and allow friendlies to take it out, or will attempt to severe important factors, like a vein or the bottom of a boat. They learn: Throw a spear at one, and hit it. The next time it comes at you, they ALL will be moving in random patterns towards you, and then take you down.

Other: They are adaptive, they are very slow to reproduce, as one female can only have 2 egg batches of 6 each every 4 years.

 

[Novum Genus]

Do you need more info for appearance? Sorry, I spent most of my time on everything else >.<