Aurel/Ecology

Overview Settlements Ecology

## **Aerial Fauna**

### **Alimoys**

The **Alimoys** are a species of carnivorous invertebrates found commonly soaring in the skies of Keleros. Closely related to the aquatic the Thelasians, they share a similar body plan which suggests that Alimoys split off from the Thelasians a long time ago. Alimoys are often said to have a 'fish' like body, with four tail fins which it uses to precisely maneuver, and four large wings which they constantly use to produce enough lift to easily hover and fly in the skies for an extended period of time.

Oftentimes Alimoys dive into the oceans to hunt for prey, essentially making them semi-aquatic creatures. One of their favorite species of prey are Quriot, as they are often travel in huge packs and have no way to defend against fierce predators like this. Alimoys spend most of their time flying however, and are sometimes seen feasting on other flying creatures, killing them in an instant by ejecting a venomous liquid into their bloodstream through the tentacles that Alimoys have on their face.

## **Marine Fauna**

### **Thelasians**

The **Thelasians** are a thriving species of medium-sized mammalian apex predators that stalk Keleros' tropical oceans at the highest levels. Evolution has refined their four-sided body plan, like that of many large organisms on Keleros, into a sleek, secondary bilaterally symmetrical shape capable of moving quickly and effectively through the ocean.

Thelasians have some social intelligence, as they travel in loose pods to find swarms of suitable food, then split up and try to bring the prey closer to the water level, making them simpler to capture. Despite this initial cooperation, the real hunt is carried out independently of the other pod members, with cooperation resumed only when prey needs to be forced back to sea level.

While Thelasians are fast swimmers, several prey species are far faster, and swimming speed is not their primary weapon: Moving in behind prey, the enormous eyes fixate on a victim, and when within range, two tentacles launch outwards as an extended and lethally barbed lower mouth tries to impale it. If the strike is successful, the tentacles quickly coil around the doomed organism and drag it to the mouth.

### **Quirot**

The **Quirot** are a species of fish native to Aurel' shallow waters. They are one of the most common types of fish-like organisms seen swimming on the planet, and they are a food source for a variety of native species. It is also one of the primary food sources for the local population. The Quirot have a short, streamlined body that is designed for agility, as well as two large frontal fins that let them to move fast through the water. They have a light gray body with a few orange stripes, with the males having fewer stripes than the females.

The Quirot are a highly social species which spend most of their relatively short lives in packs of thousands. The diet of the species is varied and omnivorous. They prefer aquatic insectoids and cruscateans as a food source, but can survive on seaweed, kelp, and algae for the rest of their lives. Several huge Aurel marine predators, such as the Thelasians, regularly consume Quirots.

A healthy mature female can lay 300,000 eggs in a single spawn. The Quirot reproduce in the colder seasons in response to rising water temperatures and rainfall. In the food industry, spawning is frequently induced using a procedure called as hypophysation, which involves injecting pituitary gland extract. The eggs have a very low survival rate of only 20%, and even fewer make it to adulthood.

### **Dragon Eels**

Dragon Eels are a species of massive eels native to the deep sea all over the oceans of Aurel. Dragon Eels possess a long almost dragon like body, hence their name. The body is covered by an extremely thick and scaly skin, which protects it from the crushing depths of the ocean. The species has 2 long antennae it uses to sense vibrations in the water. Additionally, bioluminescent circles run along the front to the back of its body. Dragon Eels have has 2 thin fins, each ending in a bioluminescent organ.

Dragon Eel are highly territorial and aggressive. It is noted that Dragon Eels traverse the water at over 50 km/h, being able to chase prey very easily out of its territory, using its thin fins. Dragon eels are known to take advantage of its bioluminescence, to attract nearby prey. The males compete over females, mostly by fighting to death. Whoever survives, the female will mate with, leaving the weak one to die in the ocean. Sometimes they consume the weak ones of their kind as a way to satisfy its nutrient requirements. They are also intelligent, knowing what to attack, and what to not attack. They can sense threat, and will usually flee into the darkness if it feels extremely threatened.

Dragon Eels start their lives out in the womb of a female, which it carries for 16 months. Then the female gives birth to a tiny eel only double the size of an average human, and during their long growing process of 50 years, they eat up as much matter as possible, to avoid getting killed by various other predators. Parental figures of Dragon Eels are known to give fish to younglings. However, once fully matured, they will almost exclusively live in a solitary lifestyle until their death. They usually like to live at the depths of 5km, but will sometimes rise up up to the depth of 450m, to hunt other species.