Life in the Water

The Mer-Races all claim to be the “first race” under the sea, but they do know that they have existed there since the creation of their world, making them one of five oldest races. Their evolution under the sea was affected by life on land, as they used to live near coasts, and it was affected again as they moved out towards the dangerous open sea. Most of the planet is water, giving them a huge open expanse to settle, and even better, the majority of the sea is in the warmer half of the planet, creating a perfect climate for the Mer-Races.
They settled themselves in amongst the corals and the seaweed, becoming friends with the ocean life and studying every chance they got. It was through this that the thousands of species of corals and their behaviors were recorded, and then their evolution modified to the needs of the mer-peoples. They did this with seaweed too, as well as other flora, but have yet to be able to modify the creatures under the sea.
The ocean waves filter out much of the red light from the sun, which is most of the light, so the creatures and other life have been forced to evolve to be able to survive on small amounts of blue and white light. This has made seaweed shorter and heartier, though it is fickle and doesn’t grow easily, though there are many different types. This has also allowed for different types of light in the water, so many underwater creatures see and comprehend colors very differently than we could describe.
There are many giant terrors lurking in the great depths, one such being the shrakia, but other, what we would call “prehistoric beasts” are also hiding in the sea. What’s more, there is a large amount of bioluminescent and fluorescent creatures and life forms under the sea, which aid many other creatures as the water gets dark quickly.
The ocean floor is filled with millions of species of fish and shrimp as well as jellyfish, turtles, and many species of decapods and cephalopods, many of whom are larger than the numerous species of sharks and dolphins, and even whales.
Seaweed varies in shape, color and size, though the Mer-Races simply call it something that translates to “The Plant.” Some have been modified, but most are just considered lucky finds. The seaweed in their farms must be well handled and cared for or it dies.