Kh'ulkal Tyrranus ubiquitum "Dreadeel", "oh god what the fuck is that", "Serpentshark" thanks synth for the app format! An elder Kh'ulkal. Art by MaskedHero.Description: The Kh'ulkal is a species of Arcoszard fish; long and serpentine. It is a vertebrate, its body consisting of countless vertebrae which increase in number as it ages, and ribs off of them to support and contain its organs. Its underside is covered with overlapping, bony spines, which hinge open to reveal a maw and a central opening; as it grows, and adds new vertebrae to its tail, this limbed, grasping maw ceases to be its entire underside and becomes confined toward the front of the beast, where a human might identify the "neck" and "chest" areas looking at its full length. It has two pairs of eyes toward its front, and small maneuvering fins along its sides, starting just past the head and ending about two-thirds of its length down. Behavior: Aggressive. The Kh'ulkal will eat anything it can identify as prey, which is generally any animal that is smaller than it. It is a ravenous feeder. Tamability: You can trap it in a fishtank and feed it, but you cannot tame it any more than you can tame a shark. Where is it found?: It is exclusively found in the oceans of Arcoszard (for now). Saltwater-only. Larger individuals are found deeper in the oceans, pursuing larger and larger prey as they descend. Rarity: Extremely common in its habitat; they are found worldwide on Arcoszard, from the shallowest tidepools to the deepest trenches. Diet/Method of gaining nutrients and energy: Pure carnivore. A scavenger or swarm predator when younger and smaller, but quickly becomes an active predator when larger. Its largest individuals are often ambush predators instead. Due to the wide range of ecological roles the Kh'ulkal play, cannibalism is common. Products?: Meat, in prodigious amounts depending on the specimen. Its tooth-spines are also quite sharp. Reproduction: The Kh'ulkal breeds by intertwining its body with another of opposite sex and similar size and exchanging genetic material through a "kiss" of their maws. This usually results in injury to one or both parents, as they grip onto each other with the very same piercing teeth they use to consume their prey. The female then travels to the shallowest environment it can afford to, deposits a clutch of countless, millimeter-diameter eggs and buries them. The number of eggs is often dependent on the age of the animal, with larger individuals being able to produce more eggs at once than smaller ones, just by their sheer size. Size: Dependent on age. Their young are miniscule, feeding on the smallest fauna of Arcoszard, whereas the eldest can measure in hundreds to even thousands of feet in length; the only upper limit is whether it can continue to feed itself. Its length outpaces its diameter as it grows old, leading to the most ancient being far longer and thinner than its young proportionally. The creature grows approximately 15% in length every five years, and grows in diameter approximately 10% in that time. Proportion may vary by individual. Weight: As above, it grows continuously with no upper limit. Lifespan: No true upper limit. They die of 'natural causes' when their size and energy requirements outpace their ability to hunt, and they starve to death. Abilities: Theoretically infinite lifespan. Can effectively adapt to any water pressure if given time to acclimate. Flaws: Fully aquatic, suffocates outside of saltwater. The inside of its mouth is made entirely of soft tissue.
