Snurkle (snur-cull)

Walking black holes, trash munchers, bottomless pits. Snurkles go by many names throughout the world, but their use is undeniable. Snurkles possess the unique ability to eat nearly anything, so long as it fits in their mouth, with no ill-effects to themselves. With this ability, Snurkles have found themselves integrated across society, in the profession of being sentient trash cans. Snurkles are perfectly content in this role, as eating is both their favorite activity and trash of all kinds is sufficient to keep them fed.

Dietary abilities

Snurkles are capable of devouring almost anything. The only limits are items that they are incapable of fitting within their mouths, and dangerous materials such as Physical Darkness, acids, or other volatiles.

Naming origin

Snurkles acquired their name from the sounds their slimy forms make as they move across the ground, creating a sound reminiscent of a wet snurk.

Dangers

While Snurkles are almost entirely harmless, and in all ways they mean no harm towards humans, they still carry the ability to cause harm. Snurkles are capable and willing of eating nearly anything so long as it fits within their mouth, including organics. When handling a Snurkle, it is highly advised to keep fingers, arms, and any other appendages out of reach of their mouths, as a Snurkle will not hesitate to associate an object that is within mouth proximity with food, regardless of its still squirming. Luckily, Snurkles are slow, clumsy, and lazy, making the threat of chasing prey entirely nonexistent.

Basic Information

Anatomy

90% of a Snurkles form is composed of a sticky slimy gel-like substance that forms a spherical or oval shape. Within this substance, a Snurkle possesses two auditory organs, two eyes, a heart, nerves, blood vessels, and other necessary connections between organs. The gel substance is a translucent green, with shades of green differing among individuals. The gel on the front of a Snurkle is capable of being opened and closed in the same nature as a mouth, allowing for auditory and consumption of food.
Snurkles also possess 2-3 limbs, with exact numbers differing between individuals, made of the same gel substance. These limbs provide a limited but functional locomotive ability.

Flexibility

Snurkles contain a high level of flexibility and dexterity in their bodies. They are able to be squished, squeezed, flattened, and deformed in a variety of ways with no lasting damage or injury. They are also capable of surviving impacts of considerable speed and altitude, reforming to their original shape within a matter of minutes, and resuming regular behavior.

Genetics and Reproduction

Snurkles reproduce through a form of mass sharing. Once sufficient amounts of the matter are consumed, Snurkles are able to press their forms together and merge slime, which then breaks off from the two parents and within just a few months becomes a new baby Snurkle.

Growth Rate & Stages

A Snurkle's appearance remains primarily the same throughout their life, remaining as a ball of slimy gel with appendages. The most substantial change through their life is their size, gaining size and weight as time flows until they reach their max size, at which point they remain this size until death.

Ecology and Habitats

Snurkles can survive in many environments across Kostea, though their preferred and native habitats are jungles, swamps, and wetlands. Snurkles are capable of surviving in both hot and extremely cold environments for a time, however, these places can be detrimental to their health, as the gel that makes up 90% of their total form is at risk of drying up or freezing.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Snurkles are capable of surviving off what they consume and require only a small portion of food per week. Despite this low requirement, they have no upward limit of what they may consume, nor is extra mass gained once full growth is reached.

Additional Information

Social Structure

In the wild and domestication, Snurkles maintain a colony lifestyle. The slime excreted from their gel bodies are capable of sticking to surrounding environments and each other, allowing for a colony of Snurkles to stick to each other and operate as one unified mass, or form large colonies clustered on the walls and ceilings of their home.

Domestication

Snurkles are domesticated by humans across Kostea, primarily for their unique dietary use. So long as they are treated nicely, Snurkles will happily work and live with their owners, devouring anything given to them while providing a similar attitude as a pet. If Snurkles are not treated nicely, however, they are known to either not eat what is given unless it becomes necessary for survival, or to go the alternate route and attempt to eat anything possible, even their own environment or even owners themselves.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Snurkles are used all over as a form of trash disposal. Snurkles are capable of eating nearly anything so long as it fits within their mouth, and humans make use of this ability by using them as living trash disposals.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Found all over Kostea thanks to humans, Snurkles originate in the jungles, swamps and wetlands, where they can be found in large interconnected colonies of sticky slimy bodies.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Snurkles have two eyes and two auditory organs capable of functioning similarly to ears. Their eyesight is capable of seeing in both light and dark, though their hearing is poorer then other creatures due to the presence of their slimy bodies surrounding the organs.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

Snurkles are in a symbiotic species with humans. Humans give them shelter, companionship, and most importantly food, and Snurkles happily devour anything put within reach of their mouths.

Origin/Ancestry

Snurkles share a familiar appearance and a shared evolutionary tree with Snuffles and Snackles.

Lifespan

36 years

Average Height

Roughly ranges from 30 to 60 inches in diameter at full size, starting between 5-10.

Average Weight

Roughly ranges from 17 to 32 pounds at full size, starting between 9-13.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

All snurkles possess a translucent green body, though exact shades of green can vary between individuals.

Geographic Distribution

• Kostea