Creature Creation Challenge v2.0 [#6]

[Malkuthe Highwind]

Welcome to the 6th Creature Creation Challenge v2.0!

This challenge explores one facet of worldbuilding: the creation of fantastical flora and fauna, as the title more or less indicates. Now, whether or not you're a worldbuilder, at one point or another, you're bound to create all manner of beasties, big and small, for your world. This challenge aims to tickle your creativity into bringing to life some of these creatures, and to that end, it brings two 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; and second, every week, there will be a different difficulty level set for the challenge. Can't have you budding and veteran worldbuilders alike growing complacent, after all. ;)​

[FIELDBOX=Crash Course in Difficulties, #7bd181]

#7bd181 Difficulty 1:

- This one's easy. Just create a creature that fits a certain theme.

Difficulty 2:

- This one's a bit more difficult. There's a theme to follow but you also have to use a specific body part.

Difficulty 3:

- Here's where things get challenging. You will still have to make your creature match a theme. You're still going to have to use a certain body part. However, now it has to fit a certain ecological niche. Predator or prey, to give you two examples.

Difficulty 4:

- Ooh boy. This one's tough. Your creature has to match a theme, has to have a specific body part, and has to fit a certain ecological niche, but that's not all! This time, you have to base that creature on a specific animal that lives or has lived on earth.

Difficulty 5:

- This is the ultimate challenge for someone wanting to create a species without having to consider sentience/culture. You not only have a theme, specific body part, ecological niche, and real-life animal basis to worry about, but now you have to make sure that that creature also survives in a specific environment as well. Say a volcanic spring, for example, or maybe even the icy-cold, soul-sucking darkness of space.

[/FIELDBOX][FIELDBOX=This Week's Difficulty, #7bd181]

- Ooh boy. This one's tough. Your creature has to match a theme, has to have a specific body part, and has to fit a certain ecological niche, but that's not all! This time, you have to base that creature on a specific animal that lives or has lived on earth.​

[/FIELDBOX][FIELDBOX=Criteria, #7bd181][WARNING=#7bd181]Theme: Seafaring
Body Part: Prehensile Tail
Ecological Niche/Role: Apex Predator
Animal Basis: Cheetah
[/WARNING][/FIELDBOX][FIELDBOX=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:[/FIELDBOX]

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[BTN=#7bd181|bcenter]The Bestiary[/BTN]​

 

[Immortal_Chaos]

Name: Razorfin, sometimes called a Reef WolfAppearance: The razorfin is an eel shaped creature, with three long fins extending along the length of its body. The fins are dotted with spines, which flatten on the sides, and are sharper.These are usually put up when striking prey, or threatening others of its species. Although the eel and fins are usually a light grey-ish colour that seemingly merges with the sand and coral, when faced with battles, to threaten opponents, blood is pumped into tight veins along the fin causing it to go a bright red. They are equipped with sharp, serrated teeth, and also hooked ones to keep the chunk still while eating. They also release acids through a hollow appendage in their mouth, which can dissolve the meat quicker. They have grey-ish brown eyes. They also have a thinner tail, which they can use to hold onto things
Role: Apex Predator
Habitat: Coastal reefs
Life-span: 3 -7 years.
Sentient: No
Sapient: No
Means of Sustenance: They eat generally large sea creatures, although they do eat smaller ones as well. Hiding themselves in the coral, skillyfully using their tail to balance in the water, they wait until their prey is nearby. They then whip their tail in quick sucsessions, boosting them forward. It doesn't bring them forward to far, but by then its enough. As they hurtle to the creature, they raise their spines. They literally cut into the creature. The razorfin, if its prey is not dead, will drag itself backwards with force, acting as pulling out a barb. Their prey usually quickly dies. They hastily bring it back down to the coral, and hanging on with their tail they feast before others follow the scent. Although they dislike it, razorfins may work together to take down big prey, like dugongs or something.
Favourite Food Source: Although its necessary to strike from underneath, turtles provide easy meat, and sometimes razorfins actually use their shells as a home
Major Competition: Generally other razorfins, and scavengers. Since no large sharks or other predators can navigate the reef, the razorfins are apex predators
Mating Rituals: Razorfins reach maturity between 2-3 years. When a female is in season, it leaves a rather obvious scent that attracts males. It will retreat to a defensible area of the reef. Males will then fight off other males. Whoever wins, gains the ability to approach her territory with about being attacked. Next the male razorfin will bring food to the female, and then they do a specific 'dance' that requires agility, stamina, and speed. Then the male razorfin will impregnate the female, and continue to feed her and the babies for half of their growing up time, then leave. Partners remember each others scent, and are more likely to mate with them again in future
Reproduction: Like many sea creatures, the eggs are laid first, then fertilised. The eggs hatch about 2 weeks later, and then take 6 months to become old enough to leave the mother. They aren't fully grown, but by doing this the survivors will be hardier
Organization: They are generally loners, except when raising. When large prey is around, sometimes they work together, but rarely
Other: There have been cases of people walking in reefs and being attacked relentlessly. Thats how they earned their name as the Reef Wolf