Scaly Mushveli

The Scaly Mushveli descended from populations of Quilled Nailfins that lived within the Wind Polar Coast, eventually replacing them in the area. One major change was the fact the species is specialized to feed on things growing on the seabed rather than trying to catch anything in the water column. This allows it to avoid competition with more pelagic organisms such as the Elegant Nailfin. Meanwhile, the Scaly Mushveli’s opportunistic feeding habits allows it to avoid competition with more specialized feeders such as the exclusively herbivorous Sealyn. Anything on the seabed that is too slow to get away or can’t move at all is a potential meal for the Scaly Mushveli, though this did require several adaptations. For example, many kinds of organisms unable to swim away go for thick armor, electric shocks, or various toxins to deter things from eating them.

When it comes to prey with thick armor or large spines, the Scaly Mushveli simply relies on its ancestral adaptations, using their powerful serrated beak (which are derived from the two buck teeth that are present in even the earliest nodents) to pulverize the tough flora into tiny little bits. The back teeth then further process the food until it's a sort of mushy paste that can then be swallowed. Not all of the Scaly Mushveli’s prey utilizes thick armor, however, with some instead using things like toxins or electricity. With all of these various dangers, the Scaly Mushveli’s direct ancestors developed a higher and higher tolerance for such weapons, eventually culminating with the Scaly Mushveli’s outright immunity to these defenses. Because of this dietary flexibility and such impressive countermeasures of their prey’s defenses, the Scaly Mushveli is able to make a living feeding on things nothing either wants to eat or can’t eat.

The flippers of the Scaly Mushveli have seen some changes, though it's more significant within the foreflippers. The hindflippers are pretty much unchanged from their direct ancestor, aside from slightly shrinking in size, with the limb having nearly all the bones fused together except for the foot of their ancient ancestors. On the foot, all five nails lock together and thus help form the shape of the flipper which then assists with steering, with the nails on the foreflippers also serving a similar purpose.

The foreflippers do have some major differences from their ancestor, however, and are very different from most other types of nailfin. In a trend that started with the earliest Kharakophocid, the Yellow-Belly Nailfin, the foreflippers have more developed arms than their cousins, though they were still mostly fused and inflexible aside from the hand. In the Scaly Mushveli, however, the upper arm bones have become unfused, with the elbow having been freed and thus granting the limbs much greater mobility than other types of nailfin. This does mean they are not as good for swimming, but since the Scaly Mushveli spends a good portion of its time around the seabed this isn’t much of a problem. Indeed, this lifestyle benefits from more flexible limbs, as the Scaly Mushveli can pull itself along by “walking” with the foreflippers on the seabed, or even help it scoot along on land.

As it does need to contend with predators, the Scaly Mushveli does have defenses of its own, many of which are merely built upon the defenses present within their ancestor. The hindmost pair of eyes still point backward, helping it scan for anything coming from above or behind while using its front pair of eyes to scan the ground for food. On land, the Scaly Mushveli will also use its ears to listen for anything coming towards it, though this does not work underwater. If it does detect potential predators, the Scaly Mushveli will do one of three things depending on the situation. If it's in the water but close to land, it will make a beeline towards shore to evade any aquatic pursuers, as while it may not be as mobile as things like the Elegant Nailfin, the Scaly Mushveli can beat its foreflippers back and forth for a decent burst of speed even if it will tire quickly. If it's on land, the Scaly Mushveli will use these foreflippers to instead scoot it towards the water as quickly as it can, since most terrestrial carnivores are not competent swimmers. If it can’t escape in either situation, then the Scaly Mushveli will instead turn and face its assailants. While the beak is mainly for feeding on tough foods, it can work just as well with delivering a very nasty bite since it can easily break bones.

Another defense possessed by the Scaly Mushveli are the large “scales” that cover its body. Being derived from the row of quills seen in their ancestor, these “scales” mostly lay right up against the body, providing some defense against cuts and scrapes without providing too much drag. The scales on the back of the neck, however, point upwards and help prick anything trying to bite on that vital area. With both these scales and their dangerous bite, predators will typically avoid these nailfins and go after easier game, allowing the Scaly Mushveli to feed in peace.

Much like its ancestors, the Scaly Mushveli breeds upon beaches, with females forming large harems that are then guarded by a male. The species does still exhibit sexual dimorphism, with the dorsal stripes being greenish in color on males while in females it is grey. Another difference, however, is the bright pink face of males which is used to attract mates and display fitness while females merely have the face be brownish-grey. As the male guards his harem, he will need to fight off any males trying to mate with females in his harem or any males that directly challenge him. These fights consist mainly of the males biting the face and neck of their opponent, often leaving deep wounds because of their powerful beaks. Young Scaly Mushveli are born on the beach, being cared for by their mother on land until they are strong enough to join her out at sea at the age of 2 months. From there, the pup will stay with her for another 6 months, until eventually leaving her behind to live on their own. The males gather females into the harems due to the fact that they can then monitor them and see when they are ready to mate, as females will only respond to any displays after giving birth to her pup.