Skirted Tetras
Basic Information
Biological Traits
Thin bodied in a rough diamond shape, its defining characteristic are its long fins that are similar to flowing skirts.
Ecology and Habitats
The tetras live in the tidal flats to the south of the Skullbrood clan exclusively. There are twenty-six deep pools that the fish can be found in. The pools are actually potholes made by the tides during a full moon. The hyper elevated sea level is quite violent as the pools exist in a narrow channel that funnels the waters through the hills. Each pool being spring fed now that hard bedrock was eventually eroded away enough to strike the aquifer just below the surface, leading to the waters to become brackish.
The pools are filled with the typical castaways. Filled with octopus, urchins, kelp, and small reefs of corals. The tetras move from pool to pool during this monthly high tide, otherwise the pools are isolated from each other. There are several variants of the fish, though they are all capable of breeding with each other. The pools typically host only a single variant of the fish at a time.
Dietary Needs and Habits
The fish is a scavenger as well as a skimmer. It will attempt to eat anything that is captured in the pools, though it is also quite happy eating the algae that thrives in the tidal pools as well. They tend to team up to flip over urchins to get at the soft underbelly, attacking them in sequential movements being careful not to stab their eyes in the process.
Behaviour
It is a schooling fish, not typically surviving long alone as the species is stressed easily in isolation. Moving together in choreographed movements to confuse predatory birds. Though these same birds may become prey if they are not careful. The fish will spit water out from just below the surface to scare away the birds, though if they fall in while being startled, the fish will descend on the prey.
When larger predators are about, they will swim to the bottom of the pools and hide beneath the small reefs in the pools. Only leaving after they cannot see large shadows any longer.
Additional Information
Domestication
While not technically domesticated, they are frequently harvested by the Goblins as a food source. Though being difficult to catch, as they are smart enough to avoid the goblins should they try and fish in their pools. Knoll of the Skullbrood Clan has a technique of catching them using feathers and spidersilk. Having to wait a while before the fish reappear from below the corals, he is able to catch a good many of them. He is aware of their small population, so he continually avoids teaching the majority of the family the technique. He does do because is of fond of their colors and they delicate scales.
Scientific Name
Gymnocorymbus ternetzi
Lifespan
12 years
Average Height
12-15in
Average Weight
10-20lbs
Average Length
2-3 feet long
Geographic Distribution
Discovered by
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