Umbral Seaswimmer

Descended from red-eye seaswimmers that abandoned the Maineiac waterways and returned to the sea, the umbral seaswimmer has grown in both size and length. Living off the coasts of the continent of Lamarck, they have become formidable mesopredators that stalk the shallows beneath the light of Mason and the stars. Solitary hunters, they have been steadily establishing themselves over the centuries since their ancestor's exodus, and their overall population has been growing to point where they are one of the most common species of seaswimmer to be found in the region.

Similar to its distant cousin, the fuzzbelly seaswimmer, the umbral seaswimmer has also evolved more specialized hairs, though unlike its kin these stiff hairs are mostly found along the bottom of their lower jaws. Utilized in detecting faint vibrations in the water, they compliment their three sets of eyes as they hunt at night. They also compliment another recently evolved sensory system, a series of gel-filled pores that run along their sides, each containing a single hair attached to a nerve cell. This lateral line is also utilized for detecting motion in the water, with a much broader range than that of their jaw-hairs, but they are also less sensitive than them at the same time. As such, the lateral line is used to initially detect prey, while the jaw-hairs are utilized to pinpoint their direction until they come in range of their vision.

While their pronounced tusk - most often derived from their left fang that pierces through the upper lip, though right-fanged individuals are not that terribly uncommon as of late - has somewhat reduced in size and length, they are still utilized for both hunting and determining territorial rights over hunting grounds. Numerous pale scars, the result of the latter use, can be found covering most individuals, though a robust immune system helps them to heal rapidly in this regard. The tusks also serve another purpose, as specialized nerve cells within them help the umbral seaswimmer to determine water pressure and temperature.

Mating occurs year round, with up to a dozen writhing juveniles produced after a gestation period of five to six months. Shown no parental care, the young are already capable hunters, relying on instincts to hunt down small prey and juveniles of other species. They prefer to remain in the shallows of the mangal regions, though unlike the adults they tend to be most active during the day. This helps them to avoid coming into competition with their older kin, who prefer to stalk these same regions at night. Should they manage to survive predation, in little over two years they will be nearly fully grown, though they will need to wait another two before they are sexually mature.