HOME | DD

Description
For the life of me I cannot figure out why this thing has the word "duck" in its name. The "gooey" part makes sense with the partnership they form, but what the is the "duck" part about? Is it because they are found in coastal marshes and wetlands? Is it because they live near water? Maybe someone thought that their shells resembled the beak of a duck!? I don't know, and it is infuriating to try and figure it out! It's like the whole Hammerbird debacle, except for that I can see why people can get the idea that they are birds! This is clam and a Slime, and yet they call it a Gooey Duck! Argh!

Complaints aside, the Gooey Duck is a creature that is actually the combination of two species. While the tall marsh walker does indeed carry the name Gooey Duck, the title also applies to the large mollusk that makes up its body. By themselves, Gooey Ducks are mussels that can be found in saltwater marshes and coastal wetlands. They are known for their incredible size and their prominent siphons that can make up for almost half their body length! They spend most of their lives underwater, buried in the mud and silt. Very rarely do they move (and even when they do, it is at an incredibly slow pace), so they instead use their long siphon to filter the water around them. The impressive reach and flexibility of this siphon allows them to keep their shelled bodies safely buried and it also lets them reach to different feeding areas if their food source moves. While it is a simple lifestyle, it is one that works quite well! Gooey Ducks have been found to live for an incredible amount of time, with some specimens believed to be over a century old!

While Gooey Ducks are quite simple by themselves, the thing that really brings them into the spotlight is their relationships with Slimes. No one is really sure what started this symbiotic pairing, but it seems that many coastal living Slimes have found a good partnership with the Gooey Ducks! They will scour the waters for one of these mussels, seeking an adult that has grown to the proper size. When they find the right one, they will send parts of their pseudobodies down to dig them up. The mussel will be dislodged and brought to the surface, where the Slime will place its vulnerable "heart" organ within an open section of the shell's cavity. With this organ nestled safely within the armored shell, the Slime will then turn its pseudobody into long legs, which it will use for locomotion. This creates the image that many are familiar with when they think of Gooey Ducks, as the mussel makes up the "head" and "body," while the Slime acts as the "legs." The long siphon of the mussel will now be used to reach the water's surface, where it can continue to filter feed, often giving the impression of a drinking animal. To keep itself moist, the Slime will pump water through its legs, bathing the insides of the shell and then sending the excess back down though the appendages. While the pairing can seem a little odd, both species gain a lot from this relationship. For the Gooey Duck, the Slime provides it with mobility and keeps it out of reach of aquatic predators and parasites that normally feed on them. It can also move them to new waters in case resources start to dwindle. For the Slime, the shell of the Gooey Duck gives them a safe place to store their organ, protecting them from almost every angle. The mussel also provides them a constant source of food through their excrement, which winds up being dumped directly into the Slime for digestion. Working together, the two make an efficient animal that has become iconic to these coastal ecosystems.

To cultures that live near the coast and marshlands, the Gooey Duck is a familiar sight and a source of food. The meat from their siphons is considered a delicacy, and it is often cooked in soups and chowders. When it comes to harvesting Gooey Ducks for food, locals prefer to use the ones that are not partnered with Slimes. While it is a tedious task to find Gooey Ducks underwater and dig them up, it is much easier than dealing with a Slime that does not want to lose its home. Slow and calm they may seem when they are wading through the marshes, but when dealing with an attacker, they quickly lose that demeanor. Those long slimy limbs will lash out, hardening their pseudobodies to land stunning blows. These punches aren't even the worse of it, as the Slimes will often grab their foes and try to drown them by pinning them underwater. So if you are looking to make a tasty Gooey Duck chowder, be sure to go after the buried ones so that you actually survive long enough to enjoy the meal.

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

---------------------------------------------------------------------

More Slimes! MORE!

Description
For the life of me I cannot figure out why this thing has the word "duck" in its name. The "gooey" part makes sense with the partnership they form, but what the is the "duck" part about? Is it because they are found in coastal marshes and wetlands? Is it because they live near water? Maybe someone thought that their shells resembled the beak of a duck!? I don't know, and it is infuriating to try and figure it out! It's like the whole Hammerbird debacle, except for that I can see why people can get the idea that they are birds! This is clam and a Slime, and yet they call it a Gooey Duck! Argh!

Complaints aside, the Gooey Duck is a creature that is actually the combination of two species. While the tall marsh walker does indeed carry the name Gooey Duck, the title also applies to the large mollusk that makes up its body. By themselves, Gooey Ducks are mussels that can be found in saltwater marshes and coastal wetlands. They are known for their incredible size and their prominent siphons that can make up for almost half their body length! They spend most of their lives underwater, buried in the mud and silt. Very rarely do they move (and even when they do, it is at an incredibly slow pace), so they instead use their long siphon to filter the water around them. The impressive reach and flexibility of this siphon allows them to keep their shelled bodies safely buried and it also lets them reach to different feeding areas if their food source moves. While it is a simple lifestyle, it is one that works quite well! Gooey Ducks have been found to live for an incredible amount of time, with some specimens believed to be over a century old!

While Gooey Ducks are quite simple by themselves, the thing that really brings them into the spotlight is their relationships with Slimes. No one is really sure what started this symbiotic pairing, but it seems that many coastal living Slimes have found a good partnership with the Gooey Ducks! They will scour the waters for one of these mussels, seeking an adult that has grown to the proper size. When they find the right one, they will send parts of their pseudobodies down to dig them up. The mussel will be dislodged and brought to the surface, where the Slime will place its vulnerable "heart" organ within an open section of the shell's cavity. With this organ nestled safely within the armored shell, the Slime will then turn its pseudobody into long legs, which it will use for locomotion. This creates the image that many are familiar with when they think of Gooey Ducks, as the mussel makes up the "head" and "body," while the Slime acts as the "legs." The long siphon of the mussel will now be used to reach the water's surface, where it can continue to filter feed, often giving the impression of a drinking animal. To keep itself moist, the Slime will pump water through its legs, bathing the insides of the shell and then sending the excess back down though the appendages. While the pairing can seem a little odd, both species gain a lot from this relationship. For the Gooey Duck, the Slime provides it with mobility and keeps it out of reach of aquatic predators and parasites that normally feed on them. It can also move them to new waters in case resources start to dwindle. For the Slime, the shell of the Gooey Duck gives them a safe place to store their organ, protecting them from almost every angle. The mussel also provides them a constant source of food through their excrement, which winds up being dumped directly into the Slime for digestion. Working together, the two make an efficient animal that has become iconic to these coastal ecosystems.

To cultures that live near the coast and marshlands, the Gooey Duck is a familiar sight and a source of food. The meat from their siphons is considered a delicacy, and it is often cooked in soups and chowders. When it comes to harvesting Gooey Ducks for food, locals prefer to use the ones that are not partnered with Slimes. While it is a tedious task to find Gooey Ducks underwater and dig them up, it is much easier than dealing with a Slime that does not want to lose its home. Slow and calm they may seem when they are wading through the marshes, but when dealing with an attacker, they quickly lose that demeanor. Those long slimy limbs will lash out, hardening their pseudobodies to land stunning blows. These punches aren't even the worse of it, as the Slimes will often grab their foes and try to drown them by pinning them underwater. So if you are looking to make a tasty Gooey Duck chowder, be sure to go after the buried ones so that you actually survive long enough to enjoy the meal.

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

---------------------------------------------------------------------

More Slimes! MORE!