Burrowing Rockfish

Burrowing Rockfish are a species that live inside underwater cliffs and ledges. Most notably, they live in the ledge near the City of Bahriin and the underwater caverns underneath the Badlands. As there is much coral stemming from the ledges, the openings of the homes of the burrowing rockfish are often found in the coral.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Burrowing rockfish are long-tailed fish with legs. They have two thick front legs and two tiny back legs. Their large heads have 6 feathery external gills and two black eyes.
Once leaving their home burrow, their colours adapt to the colours of the surrounding coral. Thus, many are seen with bright pinks, blues and purples. Often, a particular ridge will have one set of colours seen in the burrowing rockfish, and another ridge will have another set of colours seen in the burrowing rockfish. Often there will be a set of patterns on the skin of the burrowing rockfish, similar to either the coral around them, or the rock in which they inhabit.

Growth Rate & Stages

Burrowing Rockfish have four growth stages.

1. Egg: About 20 eggs are laid at a time, in the back of a long, twisting maze burrow.
2. Larva: Most eggs hatch to larva, and spend their time eating what they can find in the burrow maze.
3. Junior: Once the larva reach the end of the burrow, they are on their own. They have to find their own food and own space to create a new burrow for themselves and their future family.
4. Adult: Once housed, they find a mate and start a new family.

Ecology and Habitats

Once a burrowing rockfish has left its home burrow, it sets off to create its own burrow. However, it may also attack another burrowing rockfish and take over its home and family; occupy an abandoned burrow; or simply steal a section of their home burrow by sealing off a section. Both females and males create or take a home for themselves before mating. During the mating period, they connect their burrows, thereby adding to the maze like tunnels of their home.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Burrowing rockfish eat magi-bugs found in the sea and in rock. They have a particular fondness for coral magi-bugs, and sometimes a burrowing rockfish family will capture and grow coral inside their homes to effectively breed coral magi-bugs. They also eat seaweed and some water grasses.

Behaviour

Burrowing rockfish use their front two legs (and claws) to dig at rock and their big heads to compact loose dirt/rock. Their heads can also be used to squish magi-bugs and in starting fights with other burrowing rockfish.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Once a burrowing rockfish pair has mated, they stay in that burrow for life, continuing to grow the maze and raising a new set of eggs every 1-2 years. However, if another burrowing rockfish comes and kills one of the parents, they become the new parent, assuming the dead ones place in the family.

Domestication

Many mermaids often brag about their burrowing rockfish 'pets'. They are the second most popular pet after magi-clams. However, they cannot be tamed, rather they will dig into a Mermaids house themselves. Sometimes, they will frequent the house, other times they will spend the rest of their lives unseen by the Mermaid (though they are still 'attached' to the house and thus denoted as a braggable pet by the Mermaid). The second level of brag by a Mermaid is the amount of times a Mermaid sees their burrowing rockfish and their family. The greatest brag heard so far, is a set of eggs being laid inside the Mermaid's house, thus that Mermaid was able to see the family grow up to juniors.

Lifespan

10 years

Average Length

50 cm