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Description
No matter where you spot one of these creatures, it will be a sight that shall definitely catch your attention. A beast that lives in two worlds, both water and land. Depending on which element you find these creatures in, you will get rather different impressions! If you are canoeing down the winding, murky rivers of the tropics, a glimpse of a smooth muddy hide slipping through the water will get your heart racing! A crocodilian shape lurking in the cloudy waters that surround you immediately brings the worse to mind. A stealthy aquatic predator is circling your boat, certainly waiting to burst up from the depths and seize you in its terrible jaws! As it slithers past the surface again, you may notice its long, cruel claws. Powerful blades like those would certainly do a number on your boat! When you suddenly encounter one of these creatures out on the water, they can certainly give you a fright! If you happen to see one on land however, a different thought will race through your mind, like: "What is this goofball doing here?" Up on dry land, the true nature of this species is clearly revealed, and you can easily see that they are no river monster or ravenous beast from the deep. The Myrmecetus are just silly goofs that like to have fun and love to chow down on some tasty treats!

When they were first discovered, the stories claim that the finders believed them to be amphibians. With smooth wet skin, webbed limbs and a love for water, you could see where one would slip up on first glance. Closer inspection, though, will reveal details that show what group this species truly belongs too. With special hairs on the end of its snout and teats on their underside, it becomes obvious that the Myrmecetus are actually mammals! Their strange appearance is because they are related to whales and dolphins, much like their similar cousins, the Sousuins! You can see the similarities in their smooth, hairless hide and the nostrils that have migrated upward into a blowhole. For this species, they have ditched the aquatic lifestyle for a more amphibious one, constantly switching between the water and land. As I mentioned before, the Myrmecetus live in the tropics, preferably where there are plenty of freshwater rivers. Their webbed limbs and paddle tail help them swim elegantly through the water, and their flexible bodies allow them to navigate through flooded forests! Unlike fully aquatic creatures, they are not forced to remain in deep water as they can slither through the shallows or clamber over barriers and tangles. Instead of flippers, they possess pudgy limbs that can be used for climbing over debris and walking across land. However, calling this "walking" fails to describe their humorous gait. It is more of a waddle, or the awkward shamble of a fat crocodile. This is because their limbs are rather short and the forelimbs possess some hefty claws on them. These blades are good weapons, but make walking a tad difficult. Though they are quick and graceful in the water, their prowess on the land is a bit lacking. Don't get me wrong, they can travel across the land, it just isn't the most dignified looking thing.

With their mode of terrain travel a bit odd, one may wonder why these creatures visit the land. Surely they would be better off in the water, where they can swim about with ease! While that is true, the Myrmecetus still come to shore in search of food. It is on land that they find their preferred source of food, and plenty of it! With a hefty set of claws, one may think that they are powerful predators that rend prey and feast upon their innards, but that is not the case. The claws are indeed used for getting food, but in a different way! What they seek out on dry land is not fresh meat, but the telltale signs of an ant colony! They want big mounds that promise a hefty colony full of ants and larvae! When they find a good hive, they use these long powerful claws to rip them open. Once a decent hole is made, they stick in their long thin snouts and begin to feed. Hidden within this elongated maw is incredibly long tongue, which shoots in and out at blinding speeds. Covered in sticky saliva and tiny barbs, this tongue snags plenty of ants and larvae as it probes the many tunnels and chambers. The captured bugs are pulled back into the mouth whenever the tongue retreats, and the mouthful is ground up and swallowed. Obviously, the ants are not a fan of this and will go into attack mode. With sharp jaws and painful stingers, they can do quite a lot of damage to an unprepared foe. Fortunately, the Myrmecetus is well equipped to deal with these tiny soldiers. Like all members of its family, it possesses a layer of blubber beneath its skin. While others may use this to keep warm, the Mymecetus instead uses it as protective padding! This blubber serves as a barrier between the angry ants and its more sensitive tissues. It possesses a sparse amount of special nerves that are able to dilute the pain brought on by the jaws and stings. It also has pockets of special fluid that counteract the ants' venom, making it rather painless to them. Another protective feature can be found around their eyes. The muscle and skin around their eyes are a bit thicker than the usual eyelid, which allows them to retract and hide from any attacking insects. The blowhole up top can also seal itself shut, keeping out invaders! With all this, they can withstand the onslaught for a while, getting their fill before retreating from the angry colony. After feeding, they tend to seek out the nearest water source for a quick bath. Be it a river or a muddy hole, they will hop in and roll about in a comical fashion. This is meant to wash off any remaining ants that may still be clinging to their hide, to insure that they don't get stung when their guard is down.

Though ants are the main staple of their diet, Myrmecetus can feed on other critters to help fill their bellies. When there is a lack of ants or when an opportunity rises, they may go after small crustaceans and fish that hide in holes and burrows. Probing the shoreline with the sensitive hairs on their snout, they seek out small holes that they can stick their noses or tongues into. They can either use their barbed tongue or the hooked teeth on the front of their snout to snag prey and pull them into the mouth. Seeking out food this way can be a bit risky, as some denizens of these burrows may have pinching claws or biting teeth! These weapons are avoided by striking fast or using their keen senses to identify the threat and avoid it entirely. Both of these skills come with age and experience, and some younger ones may learn this lesson the painful way. It is believed that some "attacks" by a Myrmecetus were actually just a juvenile thrashing about due to a pinched tongue.

Myrmecetus spend a good chunk of their lives in the water, as it is where they are the most agile and the most protected. If attacked in the water, they can swim away and stuff themselves in hard to reach places. The roots in a flooded forest are a good hiding spot, and the juveniles tend to hide in those if danger arises. When they are on land, however, escape is not the easiest option. They can't run super fast and their awkward gait would make them easy to catch. So when they are threatened on dry ground, they tend to pick fight over flight. With long claws and a toothy beak, they will seek to defend themselves. Their threatening display consists of them standing upright with the help of their long tails. Their claws are held open and ready to strike while they let out a wet hiss. Dare to strike, and you may get some nasty cuts when they start swinging their arms. One unexpected tactic they may have when attacked is grabbing hold of their foe and targeting the face. They seek out orifices like nostrils or ears and then lash out with their tongues. This may sound like a gross maneuver, but remember that these tongues are barbed. Getting tiny cuts in your nasal cavity or ear canal is extremely uncomfortable, and that can be enough for a predator to let go and flee. It is certainly an odd defense choice, but if it works, then who am I to judge?

Swim time for the Myrmecetus is also social time, as they are very playful and interactive creatures. When in the water, they tend to find others of their kind and form a social pod. They spend a lot of time chatting and playing, swimming wildly through the underwater maze of roots and rocks as they chase each other for fun. This social lifestyle can also be seen when strangers visit their waters. Travelers and boaters often catch glimpses of these creatures as they sneak up to the surface for a peek. This often scares newcomers to these lands, as the Myrmecetus shares a similar shape with crocodiles and other nasty beasts. Their quick speed and long claws can give a terrifying impression, but these creatures very rarely attack others. As I mentioned before, these few "attacks" can probably be attributed to a Myrmecetus getting scared or injured and accidentally launching themselves onto a boat in a flurry of claws. If you are prepared for their inquisitive arrival and present yourself in a nonthreatening manner, then these little goofballs can be quite a show! When I was taken downriver on an expedition, I got to enjoy a visit from these creatures! They swam around our boats playfully, and some even popped up from the water to get a better look at us. We threw some bait their way and they grew rather fond of us! A couple even clambered onto the boats, some to get some sun and rest, and the others in search of more tasty treats! They were little rascals, but it was all in good fun!

For locals, the Myrmecetus is a rather favored creature. Their playful nature and social ways make them quite endearing, and they don't really present any threat to folk. The worst they can do is scare off fish or get tangled in nets when one goes fishing, but many folk in the area have grown wise to this issue and plan their trips accordingly. Their nature has made them the subject of many myths and tales, with some painting these creatures as tricksters in legend. While they are rarely hunted, accidental catches or kills are often kept so that one may extract their blubber. This fatty layer possesses the fluids they use to counteract ant venom, and it can be pulped up to make a soothing salve that takes away burning pain. On a more nonlethal note, some folk have come to train the Myrmecetus to aid in fishing, navigation or even rescue. Their agility and smarts in the water make them quite reliable for scaring fish into nets or making their way through clogged water ways. In times when storms blow through or when rivers flood and wash away towns, these folk send out their friends to search for missing people or swept away boats. With their keen senses, they can zip through the river and locate those that are lost. They can use their bodies to keep overboard folk afloat or let out loud clicking calls to alert search parties. What a wonderful thing!

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

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

River dolphins got a long thin snout, anteaters have a long thin snout, so that is why we are here. Not the most fascinating idea, but it was a fun one.

Description
No matter where you spot one of these creatures, it will be a sight that shall definitely catch your attention. A beast that lives in two worlds, both water and land. Depending on which element you find these creatures in, you will get rather different impressions! If you are canoeing down the winding, murky rivers of the tropics, a glimpse of a smooth muddy hide slipping through the water will get your heart racing! A crocodilian shape lurking in the cloudy waters that surround you immediately brings the worse to mind. A stealthy aquatic predator is circling your boat, certainly waiting to burst up from the depths and seize you in its terrible jaws! As it slithers past the surface again, you may notice its long, cruel claws. Powerful blades like those would certainly do a number on your boat! When you suddenly encounter one of these creatures out on the water, they can certainly give you a fright! If you happen to see one on land however, a different thought will race through your mind, like: "What is this goofball doing here?" Up on dry land, the true nature of this species is clearly revealed, and you can easily see that they are no river monster or ravenous beast from the deep. The Myrmecetus are just silly goofs that like to have fun and love to chow down on some tasty treats!

When they were first discovered, the stories claim that the finders believed them to be amphibians. With smooth wet skin, webbed limbs and a love for water, you could see where one would slip up on first glance. Closer inspection, though, will reveal details that show what group this species truly belongs too. With special hairs on the end of its snout and teats on their underside, it becomes obvious that the Myrmecetus are actually mammals! Their strange appearance is because they are related to whales and dolphins, much like their similar cousins, the Sousuins! You can see the similarities in their smooth, hairless hide and the nostrils that have migrated upward into a blowhole. For this species, they have ditched the aquatic lifestyle for a more amphibious one, constantly switching between the water and land. As I mentioned before, the Myrmecetus live in the tropics, preferably where there are plenty of freshwater rivers. Their webbed limbs and paddle tail help them swim elegantly through the water, and their flexible bodies allow them to navigate through flooded forests! Unlike fully aquatic creatures, they are not forced to remain in deep water as they can slither through the shallows or clamber over barriers and tangles. Instead of flippers, they possess pudgy limbs that can be used for climbing over debris and walking across land. However, calling this "walking" fails to describe their humorous gait. It is more of a waddle, or the awkward shamble of a fat crocodile. This is because their limbs are rather short and the forelimbs possess some hefty claws on them. These blades are good weapons, but make walking a tad difficult. Though they are quick and graceful in the water, their prowess on the land is a bit lacking. Don't get me wrong, they can travel across the land, it just isn't the most dignified looking thing.

With their mode of terrain travel a bit odd, one may wonder why these creatures visit the land. Surely they would be better off in the water, where they can swim about with ease! While that is true, the Myrmecetus still come to shore in search of food. It is on land that they find their preferred source of food, and plenty of it! With a hefty set of claws, one may think that they are powerful predators that rend prey and feast upon their innards, but that is not the case. The claws are indeed used for getting food, but in a different way! What they seek out on dry land is not fresh meat, but the telltale signs of an ant colony! They want big mounds that promise a hefty colony full of ants and larvae! When they find a good hive, they use these long powerful claws to rip them open. Once a decent hole is made, they stick in their long thin snouts and begin to feed. Hidden within this elongated maw is incredibly long tongue, which shoots in and out at blinding speeds. Covered in sticky saliva and tiny barbs, this tongue snags plenty of ants and larvae as it probes the many tunnels and chambers. The captured bugs are pulled back into the mouth whenever the tongue retreats, and the mouthful is ground up and swallowed. Obviously, the ants are not a fan of this and will go into attack mode. With sharp jaws and painful stingers, they can do quite a lot of damage to an unprepared foe. Fortunately, the Myrmecetus is well equipped to deal with these tiny soldiers. Like all members of its family, it possesses a layer of blubber beneath its skin. While others may use this to keep warm, the Mymecetus instead uses it as protective padding! This blubber serves as a barrier between the angry ants and its more sensitive tissues. It possesses a sparse amount of special nerves that are able to dilute the pain brought on by the jaws and stings. It also has pockets of special fluid that counteract the ants' venom, making it rather painless to them. Another protective feature can be found around their eyes. The muscle and skin around their eyes are a bit thicker than the usual eyelid, which allows them to retract and hide from any attacking insects. The blowhole up top can also seal itself shut, keeping out invaders! With all this, they can withstand the onslaught for a while, getting their fill before retreating from the angry colony. After feeding, they tend to seek out the nearest water source for a quick bath. Be it a river or a muddy hole, they will hop in and roll about in a comical fashion. This is meant to wash off any remaining ants that may still be clinging to their hide, to insure that they don't get stung when their guard is down.

Though ants are the main staple of their diet, Myrmecetus can feed on other critters to help fill their bellies. When there is a lack of ants or when an opportunity rises, they may go after small crustaceans and fish that hide in holes and burrows. Probing the shoreline with the sensitive hairs on their snout, they seek out small holes that they can stick their noses or tongues into. They can either use their barbed tongue or the hooked teeth on the front of their snout to snag prey and pull them into the mouth. Seeking out food this way can be a bit risky, as some denizens of these burrows may have pinching claws or biting teeth! These weapons are avoided by striking fast or using their keen senses to identify the threat and avoid it entirely. Both of these skills come with age and experience, and some younger ones may learn this lesson the painful way. It is believed that some "attacks" by a Myrmecetus were actually just a juvenile thrashing about due to a pinched tongue.

Myrmecetus spend a good chunk of their lives in the water, as it is where they are the most agile and the most protected. If attacked in the water, they can swim away and stuff themselves in hard to reach places. The roots in a flooded forest are a good hiding spot, and the juveniles tend to hide in those if danger arises. When they are on land, however, escape is not the easiest option. They can't run super fast and their awkward gait would make them easy to catch. So when they are threatened on dry ground, they tend to pick fight over flight. With long claws and a toothy beak, they will seek to defend themselves. Their threatening display consists of them standing upright with the help of their long tails. Their claws are held open and ready to strike while they let out a wet hiss. Dare to strike, and you may get some nasty cuts when they start swinging their arms. One unexpected tactic they may have when attacked is grabbing hold of their foe and targeting the face. They seek out orifices like nostrils or ears and then lash out with their tongues. This may sound like a gross maneuver, but remember that these tongues are barbed. Getting tiny cuts in your nasal cavity or ear canal is extremely uncomfortable, and that can be enough for a predator to let go and flee. It is certainly an odd defense choice, but if it works, then who am I to judge?

Swim time for the Myrmecetus is also social time, as they are very playful and interactive creatures. When in the water, they tend to find others of their kind and form a social pod. They spend a lot of time chatting and playing, swimming wildly through the underwater maze of roots and rocks as they chase each other for fun. This social lifestyle can also be seen when strangers visit their waters. Travelers and boaters often catch glimpses of these creatures as they sneak up to the surface for a peek. This often scares newcomers to these lands, as the Myrmecetus shares a similar shape with crocodiles and other nasty beasts. Their quick speed and long claws can give a terrifying impression, but these creatures very rarely attack others. As I mentioned before, these few "attacks" can probably be attributed to a Myrmecetus getting scared or injured and accidentally launching themselves onto a boat in a flurry of claws. If you are prepared for their inquisitive arrival and present yourself in a nonthreatening manner, then these little goofballs can be quite a show! When I was taken downriver on an expedition, I got to enjoy a visit from these creatures! They swam around our boats playfully, and some even popped up from the water to get a better look at us. We threw some bait their way and they grew rather fond of us! A couple even clambered onto the boats, some to get some sun and rest, and the others in search of more tasty treats! They were little rascals, but it was all in good fun!

For locals, the Myrmecetus is a rather favored creature. Their playful nature and social ways make them quite endearing, and they don't really present any threat to folk. The worst they can do is scare off fish or get tangled in nets when one goes fishing, but many folk in the area have grown wise to this issue and plan their trips accordingly. Their nature has made them the subject of many myths and tales, with some painting these creatures as tricksters in legend. While they are rarely hunted, accidental catches or kills are often kept so that one may extract their blubber. This fatty layer possesses the fluids they use to counteract ant venom, and it can be pulped up to make a soothing salve that takes away burning pain. On a more nonlethal note, some folk have come to train the Myrmecetus to aid in fishing, navigation or even rescue. Their agility and smarts in the water make them quite reliable for scaring fish into nets or making their way through clogged water ways. In times when storms blow through or when rivers flood and wash away towns, these folk send out their friends to search for missing people or swept away boats. With their keen senses, they can zip through the river and locate those that are lost. They can use their bodies to keep overboard folk afloat or let out loud clicking calls to alert search parties. What a wonderful thing!

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

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

River dolphins got a long thin snout, anteaters have a long thin snout, so that is why we are here. Not the most fascinating idea, but it was a fun one.