Fat-Lipped Whalish

Fat-Lipped Whalish
Creator	oofle
Information
Status	Extant
Common Name(s)	Fat-Lipped Whalish, Bullwhale, Itcher Whaeel
Zones	I1
Roles	Base-Consumer
Classification
Genus	Saldrapus
Species	Saldrapus giganteus
Evolution
Date	February 2nd, 2022
Ancestor	Saldrapus intentius
Descendants	No results

The ancestors of Saldrapus giganteus faced the issue of the water becoming clearer thanks to the stilt-rooted Aquaplortatus species. The Itcher Whaeel's mucus contains a highly irritating molecule, Saldrapin, to protect itself. S. giganteus is immune to the effects of Saldrapin due to an enzyme produced by its nerves that disables the toxin. Saldrapin causes the nerves in the skin to fire weakly but repeatedly, producing a continuous and persistent itch for a few hours. This helps deter predators but doesn’t stop the Fat-lipped Whalish from being eaten every time. The mucus glands near the base of the fang are enlarged, lacing the tooth with Saldrapin, giving its bite a long lasting effect.

S. giganteus grazes on the various Aquaplortatus sp., it locates these mainly by smell, as its eye can only faintly detect color and cannot distinguish shapes. It favors the inconspicuous pollen-filled flowers of A. stagnumculmus due to their protein content. Around 20 eggs are laid, covered in saldrapin-laced slime which decomposes before they hatch, at the base of the A. stagnumculmus and A. stepiensis. The young will eat the roots as their first meal before swimming off. The young are unable to produce Saldrapin making them more vulnerable to predation. They will often shadow adults, feeding on their scraps and to gain protection from adult’s Saldrapin slime coat.

Fat-lipped Whalish have developed a more thickly-set and muscular body as well, allowing them to swim faster. The Bullwhale also had gained countershading coloration, to avoid predation.