Navin
The Navin is a large predatory species that hunt the waters all around Mirateia. Not much is known about them; every time people observe them, it's typically when one attacks a ship.
The first descriptions of the Navin that can be confirmed to be about the creature describe them as giant sea monsters that will hunt and destroy anything near them and say that they are the reason that no sane sailor will sail so far out to sea that they will lose contact with that, as they will otherwise risk being attacked by the giant Navin said to inhabit the deep sea. Some scholars don't support the idea that the Navin is this all-eating monster, and they give the reason for this, being that there are stories and unconfirmed rumours that some of the Navin that have over time washed up on shore have had bitemarks on them were a large section of the monster is said to be missing.
While not much is known about them scientifically, the fishermen along the coast have plenty of stories about the Navin, with the majority of the stories being how a Navin attacked and destroyed a fishing fleet that had sailed too close to an undersea cave where a Navin had its eggs.
Fishermen tell stories about how they have observed ships that came near a Navin and were attacked by it. Still, instead of the typical bite attack from it, the Navin would swim close to the boat, and just before it hit the ship dive, it created a vortex that sucked the boat down with it.
The Navin has been the monster of choice for many books and plays that involves sea travel, with possibly the most famous book written that contains a Navin attack being the Graster Chronicles.
Basic Information
Genetics and Reproduction
Not much is known about how they reproduce, it's believed that once they are ready to lay their eggs, they find one of the large underwater caves that are said to be along the coasts and then retreat into them until the eggs hatch.
Growth Rate & Stages
Given how rarely the Navin is seen and when they are, it's typically not under circumstances where observations of size and such can be observed, but some scholars who have studied these monsters believe it takes them at least ten years to reach full size.
Ecology and Habitats
Scholars believe that the grown-up Navin will prefer to stay further from the coast in more open water, while the smaller ones prefer the more shallow coastal waters and that the young Navin will hunt smaller creatures and birds that are resting on the water's surface, it has been observed that some young will sprint towards beach were flocks of seals are resting and with the speed glide up on the beach, grab a seal and then hump back into the sea. But this has only been observed on a single beach where the dept from the beach drops significantly, allowing the Navin to swim in close without being detected.
Dietary Needs and Habits
From bitemarks on larger animals, the Navin is believed to bite down on its victim and then use its bonelike jaws to cut pieces of meat from them rather than bite it off.
Some believe that if the Navin can cross a smaller prey, it would simply open its jaw with a speed that creates a vacuum where the prey animal would be sucked into the mouth and then the Navin would close the mouth again before the prey knows what had happened.
Scholars are not sure about the last method but base their theory on the few Navin that, from time to time, wash up on shore with small animals or humanoids in their bellies who seem to have been swallowed whole.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Navin typically lives alone and is very territorial, although there are rumours from fishermen that two Navin have been seen hunting together.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
It can be found along the coast around all of Mirateia. Still, many believe that it mainly lives around the southern coast of the continent due to most of the stories and observations being from this area and that those that have been observed along the northern coast are either another species that resembles the Navin or could be young males that are not quite big enough to compete with older males over mates.
Lifespan
Unknown but extimated to be over 50 years
Average Weight
100-150 tons
Average Length
30-35m
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
The Navin can typically be found with a colouration consisting of a white undersection with a more grey colouration of the upper section.
I like the parts where you talk about the evidence behind various theories, like how they looked at what was in their stomach to guess at how they feed. This article has a lot of potential!
Thank you :)