HOME | DD

Description

EDIT: only now I noticed the background was in a different color from the rest of the Dex (cries in Gyarados)

Members of the Sciaenidae family, the magikarps are a kind of croaker fish that inhabits both freshwater and estuarine environments with some species adventuring sometimes in marine ambient. Magikarps are easily recognizable by their elongated pair of barbels in the inferior jaw, which are used as a sensorial tool to catch small animals in the muddy bottom of the bodies of water that those fishes inhabit.

Magikarps are known as a rough fish with lots of bones and mud tasting meat, but a common option for some traditional or poor communities, where they are fished from the wild or grown in ponds or cage farming. Others uses of magikarps are in recreational fishing and aquarism. There are some century old traditions of making magikarps from different species jump in small pond by disturbing them, the winner being the one who jumps higher. Fortunately those traditions are slowly being substituted to less cruel ones.

The Common magikarp (Karpadora regalis) is one of those versatile species of the genera. Having its habitat ranging from inland rivers to mangroves, the common magikarp thrives in immense schools, reaching thousands of individuals that can turn a river murky when foraging. The K. regalis can grow up to 1m long and the sexual dimorphism is present by the different coloration of the barbells, with the females having paler ones.

Many species of magikarps are known, usually keeping the same bodyplan and changing the morphology of scales or coloration, but it’s important to considerate that the second most famous magikarp “species”, the gold magikarp, is not an actual taxon but only individuals with xanthism.

The gyarados (Gyalong volator) is an immense predatory saltwater fish that can reach more than 7m when adult, making those primitive fishes a force to reckon in the tropical oceans. Gyarados are the sole known members of the Gyalongiformes, an basal order from the Osteoglossomorpha superorder.

Adult gyarados are solitary and active predators, known to even jump out of the water to snatch wingulls, kilowattrels and other birds. Their prey range also includes any fish that can fit on its mouth, marine mammals, reptiles and invertebrates.

This gigantic predator is surrounded by myths and legends, from being able to destroy cities and boats to being able to fly. The most persistent legend about this fish is that it is grown from a magikarp that survived long enough.

During mating season the gyarados congregates in mangroves and estuarine rivers, where thousands of eggs are laid. The juvenile form of those giant fishes have a short body with red scales, easily mistaken as a type of Karpadora and sometimes even congregates with those fishes. After a few years, the gyarados body starts to become more elongated and the colors change, this transformation is accompanied by the migration of the fish from the mangroves to oceanic waters.

Gyarados are critically endangered due to the intense fishing of adults for meat, accidental catches by nets and destruction of the mangroves. Some conservation efforts are being developed by creating artificial nurseries and collecting juveniles and growing them until a bigger size. The future for the species is still uncertain.

Description

EDIT: only now I noticed the background was in a different color from the rest of the Dex (cries in Gyarados)

Members of the Sciaenidae family, the magikarps are a kind of croaker fish that inhabits both freshwater and estuarine environments with some species adventuring sometimes in marine ambient. Magikarps are easily recognizable by their elongated pair of barbels in the inferior jaw, which are used as a sensorial tool to catch small animals in the muddy bottom of the bodies of water that those fishes inhabit.

Magikarps are known as a rough fish with lots of bones and mud tasting meat, but a common option for some traditional or poor communities, where they are fished from the wild or grown in ponds or cage farming. Others uses of magikarps are in recreational fishing and aquarism. There are some century old traditions of making magikarps from different species jump in small pond by disturbing them, the winner being the one who jumps higher. Fortunately those traditions are slowly being substituted to less cruel ones.

The Common magikarp (Karpadora regalis) is one of those versatile species of the genera. Having its habitat ranging from inland rivers to mangroves, the common magikarp thrives in immense schools, reaching thousands of individuals that can turn a river murky when foraging. The K. regalis can grow up to 1m long and the sexual dimorphism is present by the different coloration of the barbells, with the females having paler ones.

Many species of magikarps are known, usually keeping the same bodyplan and changing the morphology of scales or coloration, but it’s important to considerate that the second most famous magikarp “species”, the gold magikarp, is not an actual taxon but only individuals with xanthism.

The gyarados (Gyalong volator) is an immense predatory saltwater fish that can reach more than 7m when adult, making those primitive fishes a force to reckon in the tropical oceans. Gyarados are the sole known members of the Gyalongiformes, an basal order from the Osteoglossomorpha superorder.

Adult gyarados are solitary and active predators, known to even jump out of the water to snatch wingulls, kilowattrels and other birds. Their prey range also includes any fish that can fit on its mouth, marine mammals, reptiles and invertebrates.

This gigantic predator is surrounded by myths and legends, from being able to destroy cities and boats to being able to fly. The most persistent legend about this fish is that it is grown from a magikarp that survived long enough.

During mating season the gyarados congregates in mangroves and estuarine rivers, where thousands of eggs are laid. The juvenile form of those giant fishes have a short body with red scales, easily mistaken as a type of Karpadora and sometimes even congregates with those fishes. After a few years, the gyarados body starts to become more elongated and the colors change, this transformation is accompanied by the migration of the fish from the mangroves to oceanic waters.

Gyarados are critically endangered due to the intense fishing of adults for meat, accidental catches by nets and destruction of the mangroves. Some conservation efforts are being developed by creating artificial nurseries and collecting juveniles and growing them until a bigger size. The future for the species is still uncertain.