Koro’tails

In the tropical regions of the world—the islands of the Veil, the Solstice Islands, and the Lost Continent—roam the nefarious creatures known as Koro’tails. Calling them “little” would be a grave understatement. These oversized rats have an insatiable craving for fresh coconuts. They gather in skirls, swarming with such reckless abandon that they can strip entire groves bare in a single night.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Koro’tails are quadrupedal rodents, distinguished by their compact, ball-shaped bodies that allow them to curl into dense, protective spheres when threatened or resting. Their bodies are covered in coarse, bristle-like fur—typically dark brown to charcoal in color, with some regional variants exhibiting rust or ochre highlights. This fur acts as natural armor against abrasive bark, underbrush, and even mild saltwater exposure, aiding their survival in the tropical coastal environments they inhabit.

The most striking features of the Koro’tail are its claws and dentition, both of which are specialized for cracking open coconuts—their primary food source. Each limb is equipped with razor-sharp, slightly curved claws, ideal for climbing palm trees and tearing through husks. Their incisors are pronounced and chisel-like, reinforced by natural mineral intake, giving them the power to gnaw through thick coconut shells with surprising ease. These teeth grow continuously, a trait common in rodents, and are kept in check by constant use.

Koro’tails also possess a notably thick, muscular pink tail, far from a vestigial appendage. This prehensile tail functions almost like a fifth limb, allowing them to grip, hang, and stabilize themselves while navigating treetops or raiding fruit caches. It's particularly dexterous—capable of coiling around branches or assisting in carrying small objects like coconut chunks or nesting materials.

Their limbs are short but powerfully built, granting them low, stable centers of gravity that allow for bursts of speed on the ground and strong traction on uneven surfaces. Their feet are padded and slightly webbed, providing both grip and limited swimming ability, which supports inter-island travel across driftwood or debris.

Koro’tails also have small, beady eyes adapted for low-light vision, and highly mobile whiskers for tactile navigation in dense foliage or tight spaces. Their ears are rounded and tucked close to the head, minimizing the risk of snagging on vines or thorns.

Size of the Koro’tail

The average adult Koro’tail measures:

• Body length: 40–60 cm (16–24 inches), not including the tail
• Tail length: 50–70 cm (20–28 inches), long, muscular, and fully prehensile
• Weight: 6–10 kg (13–22 lbs), depending on diet and region

Their round, dense build makes them appear even larger than they are, and when curled into a defensive posture, a Koro’tail resembles a spiny, coconut-sized boulder. In fact, they are often mistaken for coconuts from a distance—until they move.

Larger alpha individuals, sometimes called "Boar Tails" or "Husk Kings" by locals, can grow up to 80 cm long with tails just as long, and weigh up to 15 kg (33 lbs). These rare specimens are capable of cracking coconuts in a single bite and are known to lead large skirls during coconut raids.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Koro’tails thrive on a diet centered around fresh coconuts, which they can locate with uncanny precision thanks to their keen sense of smell. Their powerful incisors and claws are perfectly adapted for piercing husks and cracking open shells, allowing them to devour the sweet water and tender flesh inside with alarming efficiency.

While fresh coconuts are their preferred food, Koro’tails are highly opportunistic omnivores. They will also consume:

• Aged coconuts, particularly those beginning to ferment or soften
• Dates, harvested from wild or cultivated date palms
• Tropical fruits, including mangos, breadfruit, and guavas
• Acacia pods and tough seed husks (which they gnaw through easily)
• Stolen produce from unattended market stalls and village gardens

In times of scarcity—particularly during storm seasons or overpopulation—Koro’tails will resort to scavenging meat, including carrion, scraps, and occasionally small animals such as lizards, hatchlings, or birds. Though not aggressive predators by nature, they are bold scavengers and can overwhelm prey or intrude into food stores when driven by hunger.

While not typically a threat to humans, starving skirls have been known to tear into tents, cellars, and even thatch rooftops to get at food, leaving behind a mess of clawed sacks, cracked crates, and half-eaten fruit. In such cases, local farmers and merchants often organize night patrols to ward them off—or attempt to bribe them with discarded produce placed far from homes.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Koro’tails possess exceptionally acute hearing and a highly developed sense of smell, making them master foragers in dense tropical environments. Their large, sensitive nasal cavities allow them to detect the subtle scent of ripe, young coconuts from impressive distances—sometimes up to several hundred meters, even through thick foliage.

Their olfactory sense is so refined that they can distinguish between coconuts at different stages of ripeness, favoring those that are just beginning to mature—when the flesh is soft and the water is sweetest. Combined with their sharp hearing, they can also detect the subtle sounds of swaying fruit, animal movement, or even human activity, making them highly evasive and opportunistic.

Scientific Name

Rattus palmavorax

Origin/Ancestry

Rattus primordialis