Sea Snapper

Sea Snappers are large, tanky creatures, built for a generalist lifestyle in the Plains. They spend most of their time alone, hunting on the sea floor, or traveling through the Plains. While hunting for food, they tend to hide amongst the terrain, and wave their long, seaweed-like tongues through the water to entice their prey closer.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Sea Snappers are have bulky bodies covered by a tough, spiky shell, taking up most of its body weight. Their flippers are large and serrated, and their compact heads contain a sharp beak for snatching prey, as well as two beady eyes. The creatures also have long tails ending in a large fluke for extra propulsion.

Biological Traits

Male Sea Snappers have hooks on their frontal flippers, used for staying attaching to their mate. Female Snappers, on the other hand, have small curved serrations on the undersides of their flippers for dragging their bodies through the Pocket Caves, effectively gripping the rocky floor.

Genetics and Reproduction

Male members of this species have been recorded brawling with each other over the right to mate. They go on the attack by aiming for each other's heads with their beaks, and wrestling each other over and over in the same spot. The one who loses will flee with several wounds, while the victor will start the next generation. Mother Sea Snappers will search a nearby Pocket Cave to make a nest, and may destroy the eggs of other creatures in order to lay her own in their nests.

Growth Rate & Stages

Newborn Snappers will be small and round, and while they will lack the tough spikes on their shells or their tail flukes, they will still have sharp beaks at a very early age. They spend most of their youths solitary, and use a mix of hunting small creatures and eating various plants to survive. As they grow, they'll be able to swim faster, and withstand most attacks on their shells. They'll also begin a nomadic lifestyle, traveling all over their habitat on a routine.

Ecology and Habitats

These turtles live in the plains of the Nightlight Zone. They are widespread, and usually hunt in clusters of Copper Stems, or traverse through shallow trenches and small sand valleys. They often stick close to the seabed at most times in the off chance they encounter an opportunity to hunt. Sometimes, in periods of rest, they can rely on their shells disguising them as rocks to keep them safe from larger creatures. At least, this works from a distance.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Sea Snappers are omnivorous, feeding mainly on Demon Turtle, Brine Worms and Spadeleaves. Their usual method of hunting is to simply wait on the seabed and stick their tongues out in the open. Their long tongues resemble thin strands of seaweed, and they use it to entice prey closer, in the hopes that one will think it's a piece of food. Once the prey gets close enough, the Snapper will strike with its beak. If desperate for a meal, a Sea Snapper will likely chase its prey in a manner not unlike other meat-eating species in the Nightlight Zone.

Biological Cycle

Over time, their beaks will consistently grow longer, and the turtles will have to wear them down to be able to manage their size. They accomplish this by scraping their beaks against rocks, or by making a kill.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Sea Snappers have small eyes used for sensing their environment, but they also have excellent senses of smell to detect nearby prey. These creatures almost solely rely on their senses of smell when hunting.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

Sometimes, algae can use the grooves in their shells to grow in safety, the turtles being unable to remove it.

Scientific Name

Macrochelys aecor

Lifespan

Unknown

Average Weight

320 lbs

Average Length

8 ft.

Average Physique

Bulky

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Brown skin, dark green-grey shell

Geographic Distribution

• The Sand Plains

Average Intelligence
Low