Tropic Merfolk
Tropic merfolk are one of fourteen sophonts native to planet Auvarha. The species differ from abyssal merfolk thanks to their environment; tropic merfolk, as indicated by their names, inhabit tropical waters, freshwater and brackish lakes, and the surface of open oceans.
Anatomy
Tropic merfolk have the brightest colouration of the three merfolk species, exhibiting striking scale patterns. Most have a blue or a green body, with stripes or spots that range in colours, anywhere from a deep purple to a bright orange.
They typically have slim bodies, and those that sun-bathe on the surface of the water in hotter areas have lighter skin, due to bleaching. Tropic merfolk have a pair of sails running from their crown to their tail, split up by over a hundred spines that can range from two to twenty centimetres in length. These merfolk are smaller than their abyssal counterparts and slightly larger than sirens, typically reaching around two - two and a half metres as adults.
Diet
Tropic merfolk have a diverse diet, using tools to their advantage to harvest crops and hunt prey inaccessible to the sirens they live alongside. Most hunt in groups, herding shoals of fish into shallow waters, laying nets over the shoal to catch hundreds of fish at once.
These merfolk also harvest and consume coral. Typically, coral is used as a dressing on other foods or as a snack, often wrapped in various seaweeds and cooked over geothermal vents.
Reproduction & Growth
Female tropic merfolk will produce up to seventy unfertilised eggs, hidden in cracks, crevices, small caves, and even large sponges and corals. Their partner will fertilise the eggs independently, take the eggs, and hide them in another hidden area to confuse predators reliant on smell.
These eggs are taken care of by both parents. One will guard for a few days, while the other will hunt for food and take care of their home. If there are predators in the general area, tropic merfolk will not lay their eggs in the comfort of their own homes, out of fear that a predatory animal will hunt them down.
Once hatched, the babies are immediately escorted to the parent's home, and join civilisation. They are born precocial, capable of fending for themselves with small barbs along their entire bodies, that shed during puberty.
Merfolk Civilisation
Compared to other sophonts of Auvarha, tropic merfolk live much more primitive lives. Many are still hunter-gatherers, living without a home, wandering the seas as nomads and hunting for food as and when they need it.
Merfolk that do live in settlements live interconnected lives. Banding together to protect themselves from predators, many merfolk will inhabit bays around islands, where they can barricade any entrances much easier. Those that live in lakes have it easier. Merfolk that live in open waters are more likely to be nomadic. Some may form simple houses made of kelp and seaweed, weaving it together to form impenetrable buildings.
Lil baby barbs. Cute
thank you! <3