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Description
Stormtails are an amphibious species of fish that are found in coastal waters. While they are capable of a fully aquatic lifestyle, they prefer to live around tidal pools. In this environment, conditions change throughout the day due to the tide. This makes their amphibious lifestyle crucial, as their homes can be fully submerged in seawater at one point in the day, and the next it is just damp rock and dozens of isolated pools. Their skin and gills allow them to breath both air and water, so that they can survive during both low and high tide. Their limbs are also adapted to living in both worlds, as they can alternate between swimming and walking. The long arms they use to drag themselves across the shallows and exposed rock are also lined with large fins, and their rear fins are strong enough to act like tiny legs to help push themselves along. While they are graceful swimmers in the water, their land movement can come off a bit more awkward. They use a combination of pulling and pushing to move themselves across the shore, which kind of looks like when you are on a sled and are using your arms to pull yourself across the snow. If they are on wet sand or partially submerged rock, they can speed things up by throwing themselves forward and sliding on their bellies. Their awkward land movement may leave some wondering why they bother sticking around during low tide. The answer to that is because they can, and because others can't!

When the tide goes out, dozens of small isolated pools will remain. The previously flooded area will change to a land of damp rock and tidal pools, each filled with their own special array of life. Within each of these pockets may be sea stars, crustaceans, urchins, fish and other little critters. Some may see this small ecosystem as a lovely home, while other aquatic creatures may be trapped in them unintentionally. Regardless, many species that reside within these freshly made tidal pools are incapable of leaving them during low tide, as they cannot handle air and dry-ish land. The Stormtail, however, can! When the tide goes out, the Stormtails shall come in. Emerging from their hiding places on the ocean floor, they shall take to the land and begin snooping around these formed pools. Their spade-shaped snouts are packed with special organs that help them with smelling and other senses. As they investigate the tidal pools, they shall dip their snouts in and sniff around for a proper meal. What they seek may vary, as they can have quite the varied diet. In the end, though, what they want is meat. When a Stormtail finds a pool that has the desired prey, it shall whip out its long tail and release its hidden power! On the tip of this appendage are bulbous growths, which house a special organ that somehow gives these creatures the power of lightening!

In truth, what they release is not nearly as loud and flashy as a lightening strike, but it does pack quite the punch! The Stormtail will lower its tail into the pool and release its charge. Since this power is being used in such a small area, it will hit quite hard. All creatures in the pool will receive a debilitating shock, often leaving them stunned and confused. In such a vulnerable state, these creatures become easy pickings. Stunned fish will involuntarily float up to the surface, where the Stormtail can easily scoop them up. Crabs and other crustaceans will be unable to defend themselves when the Stormtail reaches in with its long arms. Once the armored prize is in hand, the Stormtail will use its beaked mouth to crack open their shells and feast on the juicy meat inside. After it has picked out the morsels it likes, the Stormtail shall set out to search for another pool, leaving the other inhabitants to recover and regain their senses. This method of hunting is quite effective, so much so that there are other predators that agree! Other small coastal hunters may hang around a roaming Stormtail, waiting for them to shock a pool. Once the prey is immobilized, they shall swoop in to grab a morsel before they recover. Such a method of hunting must be done quickly, as the Stormtail does not like others stealing its dinner. Coastal birds can be seen doing this, often targeting prey that the Stormtail doesn't like. At times, though, these birds may get greedy and may move in a bit too fast. You can tell which birds are young and inexperienced, as you can hear them squawking when they dive in too early and wind up getting a taste of that paralytic shock!

I am sure you can already tell that such a hunting tool would make for an effective defensive weapon, and you would be right! When agitated or threatened, the Stormtail will whip its tail about and look to hit its attacker with it. While the tail itself can land a stinging blow, the accompanying lightening strike can knock you right off your roots (or feet)! There are some who claim that such an attack is lethal, but its deadliness varies depending on who is getting hit with it. Dryad-sized and human-sized targets will get quite the wallop, but it is usually non-lethal. You will knocked clean off your feet and you will be dazed for a quite awhile after, but usually there is no permanent damage. For smaller foes, it could potentially be deadly, but that can also apply to the weak and elderly. In the end, I cannot say for certain if you will die if you get hit with a Stormtail's attack, as there are many factors people cannot predict. I can only say that you should focus on not getting in such a situation in the first place. The easiest way to avoid getting hit by a lightening tail is to keep a safe distance from roaming Stormtails. Give them their space and they will leave you alone. This advice, though, applies during low tide. Stormtails can still be a problem during high tide, as they like to bury themselves in the sand to hide and rest. This is the time when most people get struck by a Stormtail, as they are not paying attention and accidentally step on one while they are wading through the shallows. To this I advise shuffling your feet when you walk through the water, as this will disturb the sand and scare a hiding Stormtail away. You should also pay attention to where you are walking, which is good advice for both high and low tide. I, embarrassingly, must admit I bungled this last piece of advice.

I was observing Stormtail hunting behaviors during low tide, doing my research amongst the tidal pools. Since my kind does not do well with saltwater, it worked out in my favor that most of it was either out to sea or trapped in little pools. I still had to wear protective booties on my roots so that they wouldn't soak up the salt from the damp ground. I was carefully watching a Stormtail probe a pool, trying to research what criteria they look for in these tiny hunting grounds. Though I was absorbed in my work, I was also paying attention to the distance between me and the specimen. I certainly didn't want to agitate it, so I kept a careful eye on its mood. When the Stormtail looked in my direction, I assumed I was being a bother, so I took a few steps back. While I was aware of the Stormtail and the distance between the two of us, I was not aware of the tidal pool right behind me. I wound up stepping backwards right into it and taking an unwanted swim. Of course that meant that I got a huge dose of seawater, so guess who had to soak in the washtub for the next two days?

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

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A critter for the tidal pools! A weird ray beast with the power of lightening! Kind of just like an electric ray, but uh different.

And I guess I am just posting any aquatic or ocean based critters I got for Mermay, even though they aren't really mermaids. Just an attempt to stick with the theme of the month, I guess.

Description
Stormtails are an amphibious species of fish that are found in coastal waters. While they are capable of a fully aquatic lifestyle, they prefer to live around tidal pools. In this environment, conditions change throughout the day due to the tide. This makes their amphibious lifestyle crucial, as their homes can be fully submerged in seawater at one point in the day, and the next it is just damp rock and dozens of isolated pools. Their skin and gills allow them to breath both air and water, so that they can survive during both low and high tide. Their limbs are also adapted to living in both worlds, as they can alternate between swimming and walking. The long arms they use to drag themselves across the shallows and exposed rock are also lined with large fins, and their rear fins are strong enough to act like tiny legs to help push themselves along. While they are graceful swimmers in the water, their land movement can come off a bit more awkward. They use a combination of pulling and pushing to move themselves across the shore, which kind of looks like when you are on a sled and are using your arms to pull yourself across the snow. If they are on wet sand or partially submerged rock, they can speed things up by throwing themselves forward and sliding on their bellies. Their awkward land movement may leave some wondering why they bother sticking around during low tide. The answer to that is because they can, and because others can't!

When the tide goes out, dozens of small isolated pools will remain. The previously flooded area will change to a land of damp rock and tidal pools, each filled with their own special array of life. Within each of these pockets may be sea stars, crustaceans, urchins, fish and other little critters. Some may see this small ecosystem as a lovely home, while other aquatic creatures may be trapped in them unintentionally. Regardless, many species that reside within these freshly made tidal pools are incapable of leaving them during low tide, as they cannot handle air and dry-ish land. The Stormtail, however, can! When the tide goes out, the Stormtails shall come in. Emerging from their hiding places on the ocean floor, they shall take to the land and begin snooping around these formed pools. Their spade-shaped snouts are packed with special organs that help them with smelling and other senses. As they investigate the tidal pools, they shall dip their snouts in and sniff around for a proper meal. What they seek may vary, as they can have quite the varied diet. In the end, though, what they want is meat. When a Stormtail finds a pool that has the desired prey, it shall whip out its long tail and release its hidden power! On the tip of this appendage are bulbous growths, which house a special organ that somehow gives these creatures the power of lightening!

In truth, what they release is not nearly as loud and flashy as a lightening strike, but it does pack quite the punch! The Stormtail will lower its tail into the pool and release its charge. Since this power is being used in such a small area, it will hit quite hard. All creatures in the pool will receive a debilitating shock, often leaving them stunned and confused. In such a vulnerable state, these creatures become easy pickings. Stunned fish will involuntarily float up to the surface, where the Stormtail can easily scoop them up. Crabs and other crustaceans will be unable to defend themselves when the Stormtail reaches in with its long arms. Once the armored prize is in hand, the Stormtail will use its beaked mouth to crack open their shells and feast on the juicy meat inside. After it has picked out the morsels it likes, the Stormtail shall set out to search for another pool, leaving the other inhabitants to recover and regain their senses. This method of hunting is quite effective, so much so that there are other predators that agree! Other small coastal hunters may hang around a roaming Stormtail, waiting for them to shock a pool. Once the prey is immobilized, they shall swoop in to grab a morsel before they recover. Such a method of hunting must be done quickly, as the Stormtail does not like others stealing its dinner. Coastal birds can be seen doing this, often targeting prey that the Stormtail doesn't like. At times, though, these birds may get greedy and may move in a bit too fast. You can tell which birds are young and inexperienced, as you can hear them squawking when they dive in too early and wind up getting a taste of that paralytic shock!

I am sure you can already tell that such a hunting tool would make for an effective defensive weapon, and you would be right! When agitated or threatened, the Stormtail will whip its tail about and look to hit its attacker with it. While the tail itself can land a stinging blow, the accompanying lightening strike can knock you right off your roots (or feet)! There are some who claim that such an attack is lethal, but its deadliness varies depending on who is getting hit with it. Dryad-sized and human-sized targets will get quite the wallop, but it is usually non-lethal. You will knocked clean off your feet and you will be dazed for a quite awhile after, but usually there is no permanent damage. For smaller foes, it could potentially be deadly, but that can also apply to the weak and elderly. In the end, I cannot say for certain if you will die if you get hit with a Stormtail's attack, as there are many factors people cannot predict. I can only say that you should focus on not getting in such a situation in the first place. The easiest way to avoid getting hit by a lightening tail is to keep a safe distance from roaming Stormtails. Give them their space and they will leave you alone. This advice, though, applies during low tide. Stormtails can still be a problem during high tide, as they like to bury themselves in the sand to hide and rest. This is the time when most people get struck by a Stormtail, as they are not paying attention and accidentally step on one while they are wading through the shallows. To this I advise shuffling your feet when you walk through the water, as this will disturb the sand and scare a hiding Stormtail away. You should also pay attention to where you are walking, which is good advice for both high and low tide. I, embarrassingly, must admit I bungled this last piece of advice.

I was observing Stormtail hunting behaviors during low tide, doing my research amongst the tidal pools. Since my kind does not do well with saltwater, it worked out in my favor that most of it was either out to sea or trapped in little pools. I still had to wear protective booties on my roots so that they wouldn't soak up the salt from the damp ground. I was carefully watching a Stormtail probe a pool, trying to research what criteria they look for in these tiny hunting grounds. Though I was absorbed in my work, I was also paying attention to the distance between me and the specimen. I certainly didn't want to agitate it, so I kept a careful eye on its mood. When the Stormtail looked in my direction, I assumed I was being a bother, so I took a few steps back. While I was aware of the Stormtail and the distance between the two of us, I was not aware of the tidal pool right behind me. I wound up stepping backwards right into it and taking an unwanted swim. Of course that meant that I got a huge dose of seawater, so guess who had to soak in the washtub for the next two days?

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

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

A critter for the tidal pools! A weird ray beast with the power of lightening! Kind of just like an electric ray, but uh different.

And I guess I am just posting any aquatic or ocean based critters I got for Mermay, even though they aren't really mermaids. Just an attempt to stick with the theme of the month, I guess.