THE
ARCHERFISH |
At first glance, the Archerfish does not seem particularly extraordinary; brown with silver stripes and being a fore and a half long. Only by studying it for a somewhat longer period of time would you notice the small bursts of water exploding with arrow-like force from above the swimming fish. The Archerfish has the remarkable ability to shoot bursts of water up to one and a half peds from the surface to knock out insects with great accuracy. It is found only in the Drifting Woods at the continent of Nybelmar and makes its home in the open tree roots, though it does roam constantly.
Appearance.
Archerfish have very thin bodies that glide seamlessly through the
water. They are darting fish, and use these
slick bodies to their advantage. The entire body is a shade of brown, but silver
streaks can be seen on the side. These silver lines are the only things that
allow people to see the fish in the murky waters.
Still it is difficult to notice when an Archerfish swims quickly by in front of
you. In total, Archerfish tend to be about a
fore and a half long
counting the tail.
The tail of the Archerfish is very aerodynamic like the rest of the body. The
caudal fin is the same width as the midsection of the body. Although the tail
does have a very deep fork, the caudal fin formed by the fork is symmetrical.
When the fish is swimming, the tail moves at an almost impossible speed due to
very strong muscles in this area. Though you might think this makes the
Archerfish a fast swimmer, it is a little too heavy to be a very speedy swimmer,
being slightly heavier than a
hafeb. That’s not to say they are anywhere as slow as the
mogo, far from it. They simply do not have the speed
of the lysh pike, for example.
The main body is roughly triangular, and the stomach is almost completely flat
until it narrows off at the mouth. The pectoral fins are longer, about five
nailsbreadths, and pointed,
while pelvic fins are almost non-existent. Archerfish have two anal fins which
start at the same point on both sides of the fish, and extend outwards along the
body in a shape almost like wings on birds. Inside these fins are tiny holes
that have a soft covering on females, and no covering on males. These are used
for reproduction.
The mouth is particularly narrow and fairly deep, as the front part is almost
like a small tube and is used to shoot water
out from the area of the gills. The gills are located just above the pectoral
fins and slightly closer to the head. Archerfish gills are made up of small
tubes that end in tissue covered holes. The tubes have small coverings on the
other end that can be closed and opened at will. They are usually left open to
allow the fish to breathe.
Special Abilities.
The Archerfish has two special abilities that make it a fairly unique fish.
Unlike many other fish, the Archerfish has the ability to temporarily close its
gills so water is trapped inside. When the
need arises, the Archerfish can expel water
very forcibly and shoot down insects. When it blows out
water, the gills momentarily shut and the
mouth becomes narrow to form a small channel. The muscles in the mouth tighten,
and the tube-like structure at the front of the mouth contracts slightly, though
this slowly releases as more water is
expelled. The stream of water can be used to
shoot down insects, as it is approximately two
nailsbreadths in diameter
and two peds long!
Unfortunately, the Archerfish can not usually hit single insects more than a
peds and a half away because
of accuracy. The exceptions to this include pack hunting insects such as the
needle fly, as well as larger insects, specifically
butterflies.
Camouflage is apparent in the obvious colour matches between the muddy
water and the brown scales, and few bugs
flying above the surface have the eyesight to see the flashes of silver formed
by the streaks on their sides, thus ensuring the Archerfish usually has the
element of surprise.
Territory.
The Drifting Woods are the only known
home of the Archerfish. Forming the northern part of Moredein Kaerath on
Nybelmar, the
Drifting Woods are surrounded by
these plains on two sides. Not only do they have a vast resource of insects for
the Archerfish to consume, they also have dark
waters that the Archerfish is totally at home in. Due to their good taste
and popularity with local men and
mer as a main course, much of the
Archerfish’s life must be spent darting from one form of cover to another. The
tree roots and plants that cover most of the lower portion of the
Drifting Woods provide that necessary
cover.
Habitat/Behaviour.
Archerfish are usually found alone in the water,
but sometimes as many as ten or twenty of them can be found if there is a large
collection of insects in one spot. One of the most amazing sites in the
Drifting Woods is seeing a group of
needle flies attacked by five or ten Archerfish.
Spurts of water come shooting out of the
water and the needle
flies fall out of the air.
Throughout the year, the Archerfish must avoid being swept up in the rushing
whirlpool as the eingana whelp takes in the vast
quantities of water it needs to survive.
During the winter, the whelp might actually try
to eat the tasty Archerfish due to a lack of fruits and vegetables. The
oloy also finds the Archerfish to be a good meal, and on
the occasion this large mammal is traveling with the Soéliveche, this tribe of
Nybelmar might catch and feed the
Archerfish to the oloy. Another predator known to hunt
the Archerfish is the Starwell Phaert, during its younger years. Later on the
Archerfish will provide too little nutrition for the beast, making Starwells
inhabited by fully grown phaert a fairly safe place for the Archerfish.
One of the biggest reasons the Archerfish falls victim to these predators is
because of its habit of roaming the dark waters.
While an Archerfish does usually have a place of abode, the amount of time spent
on traversing the Drifting Woods is
huge, and they have been known to spend weeks just “camping” in various safe
houses they discover throughout their journeying. In the way that the
drell is known to explore every nook and cranny of their
own home, the Archerfish is known to take years to know every nook and cranny
within as much as a day’s journey of their home.
When swimming, the Archerfish tends to move at an easy going speed until it
reaches an open area in the water. At this
point, it is very careful to dart across this area quickly, finding cover on the
other side. Much of the swimming that it actually does is near the surface,
allowing its water-shooting ability to work
to the utmost, by giving them the maximum range.
Diet.
There is such an abundance of food in the large amounts of small insects in the
Drifting Woods, a starving Archerfish
is said to be about as a rare as finding a
bloodstone in the middle of Sarvonia.
Some insects that actually live in the water
are consumed as well, since the Archerfish does not live simply off shooting
down flying insects. On the other hand, they are remarkably good shots, and can
shoot down almost any flying insect that is anywhere near the
water. The force of
water actually momentarily stuns the objects,
and by the time they can function again, they have long since been swallowed.
The Archerfish does not eat shell fish, as it has no tool in its arsenal with
which to remove the meat from the shell.
The fish-tick beetle is the only insect the
Archerfish blatantly ignores. This is, of course, because of their valuable role
in the reproduction cycle of the Archerfish.
Mating.
The Archerfish mates very quickly. The female can mate only once, though the
male can mate multiple times. When two Archerfish do decide to mate, the first
step is actually to find a fish-tick beetle.
Fish-tick beetles are known specifically for
eating dead tissue and skin, and when the female is ready to mate, through an
unknown process, the skin in this area quickly dies. This ensures the deetle
doesn't eat the skin until the female is ready to mate. The removal of this
tissue allows reproduction, and is a signal for males so that they are sure to
never court a female who can no longer reproduce. If the tissue is gone, stay
away.
After this time is up, the female lays about six to eight eggs in a very
secluded group of trees. Usually, it can find a very safe hollow within the
roots, visible only by careful observation. These eggs are undeveloped, and are
only about half a nailsbreadth
in width. Most of the development of the eggs is actually done outside of the
fish and the eggs take another year to fully mature and only at this time are
the babies hatched. There are usually many more female eggs than male eggs,
about a two to one ratio.
As soon as the eggs are hatched, the male leaves and the females are left to
take care of the newborns. This process sounds difficult, but because of the
rapid rate at which they mature, only about a month to reach full size, the
mother is actually not unduly challenged. After that month, both genders can
begin mating, though it usually takes much longer for the fish to find a
suitable mate. The males are usually the aggressor, conducting the mating ritual
of nudging them on the back of the head until they agree to mate. They must be
very carefully as to not aggravate a female by not checking to make sure the
tissue between their anal fins is still intact. This is almost never a problem,
but if it does happen the female will answer by fiercely by blowing
water in the face of the male.
Archerfish have life spans of about ten human
years, but the speed at which they reproduce, and how quickly the young mature,
means they are unlikely to ever become underpopulated.
Males are known to mate often, but it is possible some go through life without
mating at all. An important factor is that more than one male can court a
female, and sometimes due to competition, some males are definitely left out,
since it becomes, ultimately, the female's choice.
Usages.
The physical appearance of the Archerfish’s mouth has led to the development of
the Ter’ei’Vikh blowgun. This tribe favours ranged
weapons, and this one has the advantage of
being non-lethal or lethal depending on the poison in the dart.
Aside from this, the Archerfish is a popular food with the Ter'ei'Vikh locals.
Although fish is not the largest part of their diet, the Archerfish is eaten on
occasion. Many other fish populate the
Drifting Woods,
as well as shellfish on the coast, so the Ter'ei'Vikh do not come close to
hunting these abundant fish to extinction.
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