SC.2023.04. Silver Maskfish

In naval circles, few members of the animal kingdom are the object of as much fear as the Giant Skunji, the Man-eating variants of whales, such as the black maskfish, and the fearsome amber raptor. However, when it comes to respect, trust, and admiration from those same people, few maritime denizens match the descendant of the greyhoundfish known as the silver maskfish.

Much smaller than their larger, darker cousins, reaching at most 600kg, and topping at three meters in length for particularly athletic females, these graceful, clever predators manage tool use despite not having prehensible limbs, using their mouths to hold crustatceans and sticks to open shells, and have managed to unlock doors, using keys, and could decipher which symbol on a key tied it to a particular door.

A diet of fish, crustaceans and mollusks keeps them active, but they will gang up together for protection against predators, including their cousins the black maskfishes. In that particular case, a group of six to eight black maskfishes is well advised to stay away from groups of silver maskfishes of the typical composition at 75+ individuals. Black skates are another predator the silver maskfish will drive off, and they've done so so successfully that the Hand Subcontinent's continental waters have been skate-free for the last hundred years.

— Sea mammals you may never have heard of, proceedings of The Moniqan Naval Institute, Sook Zenith, 810AK.

Allies

He, seated at a desk in the study, looked down at the coat of arms of his new domain, embossed on the book of names, a register of visitors, idly tracing one of the five silver maskfish at the centre with a finger, its symbolism evident to him: clever, independant, and never truly tamed, but always willing to help, the animal had been the perfect symbol for the house of Ferrare, a powerful player in internal Benevent, and later, Bresciani politics. Silver maskfishes remembered their allies, and ganged up on their enemies.

Another symbolic aspect strongly associated with silver maskfish is their cleverness, they seem to get through turtle shells, shellfish's shells, crustacean carapaces, with great efficiency. The thinking man's power animal, the duelist, the clever victor, just a few nicknames associated with them.

Omerta

Early medieval heraldry has them associated with powerful, clever groups, such as the early Sardé trading clans, and the association was maintained to this day, with it being present on the current Imperio Sardé crest and flag. In the last century, it has also appeared in popular culture, with the Team Book: Otterdude and Silver Mask referencing the Silver Maskfish as the sidekick, but with the greatest potential to be a leader, and both being fiendishly clever.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Anatomy

A long, sleek cetacean with a long bottle nose, the silver maskfish is a striking denizen of the seas.

Smooth fins on the lower sides and atop its head, forward of the blowhole, as well as a long, curved horizontal caudal fin allow it a respectable speed in the water, allowing it to flee its cousin the black maskfish, should it feel the need.

Its name comes from the color of its skin, which is a shiny grey colour, and from the white eyemask it shares with its darker, larger cousin.

Ecology and Habitats

Pong

Silver maskfish dwell practically over all arndan oceans, but only dwell in the colder water for shorter amounts of time than their larger, darker cousins, whose fatter diet helps them endure the cold better.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Fast

One of the fastest fish in the ocean, a silver maskfish can catch just about any prey item smaller than itself. Most keep themselves happy with a diet of bony fish, crustaceans and molluscs, but complement them with the odd shellfish they can use tools to extract, starting with the odd discarded narval horn.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Ping

Among the best echolocators in the animal kingdom, these have incredibly acute hearing, and can hear a call for help for one of their "pod" at distances of several kilometers.