Stretcher

As you are walking through the root-forests of the Equator, you hear rustling. Growing more nervous by the second, you speed up and keep your head down. You hear a thud behind you, but turning around reveals nothing. You start running now, fearful for your life. You hear several whoops and screams in the roots above you. You recognize the sounds, and groan in annoyance. They're back. Stretchers, like monkeys and crows on earth, are rather mischievous and love to mess with anything they can. They lack bones except their skull, only having a very sturdy notocord in place of a backbone. Their lack of bones and high muscle density allows them to stretch, as their name suggests, to over three feet past their resting phase. They have three limbs, two long tentrils near their shoulders, and a long, prehensile tail. They vary in color and physique species to species. The common stretcher is blue and red, while the savage stretcher is brown and black, and has large fangs used for fighting.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Their three limbs are the parts that can actually stretch, and the tip of each limb has a grooved, hair covered surface, similar to gecko's feet. They also secrete mucus to keep their skin moist.

Genetics and Reproduction

The females choose males they see fit to mate with, usually with how well they escape from predators, fight over food or how brightly colored they are.

Growth Rate & Stages

When born, they are nearly helpless and blind. After a week, their eyes open and they develop more muscle movement, but they still stay close to the mother. After about 3 months, they wander around and as they grow older they continue to grow more independent as well.

Ecology and Habitats

They love the root forests, and I mean LOVE them. If they are taken out of the root forests, they will actually start to grow depressed, which hasn't been recorded in any other species of Animoterra. The small populations outside of the root forests are much less attached to their home-trees, commonly migrating to new areas.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Stretchers are omnivorous, eating just about anything they can find or steal. They can be seen picking fruits and leaves, but also eating pteromorphs, lathwoods and quadsects.

Biological Cycle

They don't seem to fully hibernate, though during the dry season, they do become less active and more lathargic.

Additional Information

Social Structure

They have large family groups, with a leading female, who is usually the oldest. Lower than her, there are several sub-groups, which only really have an equal comparison to social groups of Galoans and humans, close individuals that stay mainly together. The young form their own groups or constantly migrate to other groups.

Domestication

Not possible, it has been tried as merely a fleeting idea. As you can imagine, it did not work.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Trained Stretchers have been used as thievery tools and during wars to unlock gates and similar structures, as well as distractions and causing havoc for the opposing side.

Facial characteristics

Most of the species have soft, gelatinous faces that can giggle if excited. Several individuals have been described to have beaks, though no live specimens have been found, so it is assumed these are a myth or species mis-identification.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

They are mostly living on the eastern continent though there are populations in other locations in the West, especially in larger cities and temples, where they steal offerings.

Average Intelligence

They are strangely intelligent. They almost show...culture. It is strange, seeing a creature that has very little human intelligence acting like this. They study prey and predators alike, and then remember their habits and reactions and plan for future encounters.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

They have excellent color vision and are able to hear quite good as well.

Scientific Name

Stretuci sp.

Origin/Ancestry

They developed in the rainforest, as they have few adaptations for anywhere else.

Lifespan

Their lifespan is usually around 20-30 years, though captive specimens have reached ages of 40.

Conservation Status

They are rather common and in many locations, an actual problem, as they steal fruits and other food from locals and other animals.

Average Height

When standing, they can reach a height of up to three feet.

Average Weight

They even out at around 20 lbs for females, and easily 30 for males.

Average Length

The length can easily reach 5 feet for large individuals.

Average Physique

Very lanky, but their chest and torso is large and round, but their tentrils can easily change shape, so that makes describing them a bit dificult.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Many have bright colors, the giant stretcher, which can grow to nearly human sized, largely resembles their fictional character 'spider-man'. Bipolar Stretchers are black but have bright pink stripes going down their chest. There has been some evidence of an ability to change color, but this is very rare to see.

Discovered by

Entora