Marine Armadillo

I dont care what its name is, its called nature's Cannon ball

— Jasper Cameron, leader of the Bronze Ravens

One must be careful sailing near the cannon cliffs. While the kelp forests offer plentiful harvest opportunities, it only take 1 armadillo to ruin your day.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Similar in size to sea otters, Marine armadillos have a slight advantage over their cousins in that they have their armored backs, which they use to great effect in several ways.
The first, and most famous, is in starting their hunts. YOu see The Cannon Cliffs are littered with small caves that extend both above and below the tide line. by making a "plug" with mud from the bottom of the ocean and then curling into a ball, the armadillos are able to use the incoming tide to launch themselves out into to kelp forests that make up the oecean off the cannon cliffs. The longest recorded launch is over 100 yards, but for understandable reasons ships stay well clear of the coast anytime the tide is coming in.
The second use, if you are familiar with terrestrial armadillos, is of course defense. The armor on their backs and tail is quite resilient, so most predators cannot pierce it. the favored methods of the armadillos 2 biggest predators are as follows:

• Orcas will simply swallow a curled up armadillo whole.
• Octopi will hold an armadillo underwater until it drowns

This second is rather difficult to do as there is a third use the shell can be put to. While partially curled, an armadillo can blow bubbles under the ridge of its shell, trapping the bubbles there and giving it a little bit of extra buoyancy. This is useful in both escaping from an octopus or in prying off a particularly stubborn clam or sea urchin. Or in just floating facedown acting as a lookout for the otter tribe to warn them of other approaching predators.
Marine armadillos also have a tremendous lung capacity, They have been recorded as holding their breath for up to 10 minutes.

Genetics and Reproduction

Like most mammals marine armadillos give birth to live young, which they then raise on milk. As is typical of marine mammals in general the babies of the marine armadillo grow very rapidly the first few weeks, needing to develop the musculature to swim with their parents. That being said, juvenile marine armadillos lack the size necessary to form a plug needed to launch themselves out into the ocean and so stay in caves that exit on or below the water line and are retrieved by their parents as the tides come in.

Ecology and Habitats

Carnivores living in the Kelp forests off the Cannon Cliffs.

Dietary Needs and Habits

They eat mostly fish and crustaceans. THeir diets include, but are not limited to:

• sea urchins
• crabs
• clams
• muscles
• sea cucumber
• various fish
• small octopi

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Excelent eyesight and hearing.

Lifespan

20 years

Average Weight

100lbs

Average Length

5ft

Geographic Distribution

• The Cannon Cliffs