Reefripper Sharks

"When the reef moves, something dies." -Coastal proverb from the Laughing Sea

The Reefripper Shark, is the reef made tooth, a nightmare stitched from bone, coral, and blood-thrumming silence. Lurking in the ruin-haunted drop-offs and kelp-choked reef shelves of Everwealth and Kathar, it is a predator as beautiful as it is brutal. Though no larger than a White Shark, it carries the wrath of a forgotten tide: a sleek-bellied killer clad in living reef, its hide pulsing with scavenger barnacles and blade-like coral. It is not hunted, it is endured. To swim above a Reefripper is to drift above a reef that thinks, waits, and strikes. Sailors pray not to spot one. Divers pray harder not to spot a second. For if you see two, the first has already seen you.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Reefripper possesses a long, narrow frame optimized for speed bursts and agile maneuvering among kelp forests and coral shelf ruins. Unlike most sharks, its skin is irregular and often appears patchy or layered. Upon closer inspection, these “patches” are living organisms, barnacle-like crustaceans, blade-coral ridges, and fungal reef growths bonded to its hide. This biological armor scrapes and tears prey during high-speed passes or violent thrashes, turning even near-misses into bleeding wounds. Its mouth is long and hooked, with recurved, serrated teeth built for ripping and holding rather than clean bites. Its eyes are small and sunken, protected by bony ridges of growth, and glow faintly when exposed to flashes of bioluminescent prey. The dorsal and pectoral fins are longer than those of a White Shark, and often lacerated from scraping through reef tunnels. These fins also host the densest barnacle colonies, forming weaponized ridges along the edges.

Genetics and Reproduction

Reefrippers lay clutches of hardened eggs in secluded reef crevices. The eggs themselves resemble chunks of coral, making them difficult for predators to identify. Hatchlings are born with slick, unarmored hides and develop their parasitic coral and barnacle relationships over time. Reefrippers appear to encourage this growth by rubbing themselves against reef walls during adolescence.

Growth Rate & Stages

• Hatchling (0-1 year): Sleek-bodied, lacking symbiotes.

• Juvenile (1-5 years): Begins hosting coral and barnacle clusters.

• Adult (5+ years): Fully integrated with reef-growth armor.

• Average lifespan is estimated at 35-45 years in the wild..

Ecology and Habitats

Reefrippers haunt the twilight zones of the Laughing Sea, particularly near reef canyons, sunken wrecks, and the sloping edge shelves of submerged Katharan cliffs. Their coloration and embedded reef structures make them virtually indistinguishable from the terrain when still. They often ambush prey such as Glintspears, Griefscales, and Hooligans by hiding amidst coral beds or seagrass before erupting in a blur of blood and teeth. In areas near magical upwellings or alchemical effluent, Reefrippers have been observed developing stranger symbiotic growths, crystalline spines, fungal lures, or even glowing sac fungi that flash during attacks.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Obligate carnivores, Reefrippers prefer fish with soft bellies or dense muscle. Their favored tactic is the pass-and-rend: gliding alongside prey and allowing their jagged fins and coral ridges to slash targets open before circling back to feed. Feeding frenzies are common, as the Reefripper’s thrashing draws scavengers and smaller fish, which in turn lure larger predators. Its barnacle companions feed on this secondary glut, encouraging a unique mutualism.

Biological Cycle

Reefrippers shed older reef colonies seasonally by slamming against sharp rock beds or swimming through broken coral fields. This behavior coincides with new growth phases and is believed to help reduce fungal infections or parasite load. During this time, Reefrippers become more aggressive and are often spotted closer to shore.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Reefrippers possess:

• Electroreception.

• Vibration-sensitive lateral lines.

• A reflective eye layer for low-light hunting.

• Chemical receptors sensitive to blood and fear hormones in water.

Some speculate that their coral symbiotes enhance perception via bioluminescent feedback during hunts, though this is unproven.

Scientific Name

Chondrosymbios saevum.

Origin/Ancestry

Believed to be a post-Schism hybrid of shallow-water reef predators and deepwater scavengers, mutated and altered by magickal exposure to living reeffields in the Laughing Sea.

Conservation Status

Not endangered, but seldom captured alive due to danger and poor survivability outside native waters. Reefrippers are occasionally hunted for their teeth, used in jewelry, and coral ridges, sought for alchemical grinding bases. Trade is heavily regulated due to reef damage caused by overhunting.

Geographic Distribution

• The Laughing Sea