Maineiac Shailnitor

The Maineiac Shailnitor split from its ancestor. It co-evolved with the Maineiac Rivershrog, as such gaining the ability to survive and reproduce in a freshwater environment. It retains an inherently cute appearance with a face like that of a baby Maineiac Rivershrog. It lives primarily inside Maineiac Rivershrog nests, where it consumes dung and spoiled meat. It is notably more active and social than its ancestor, to fit the stationary, close-together nests which the rivershrogs construct, commonly leaving its home nest to socialize with others of its kind outside of mating season. It lives exclusively in Maineiac Rivershrog nests, being completely dependent on them for survival.

The Maineiac Shailnitor has a mating season in the spring. A male and a female will enter water and mate side to side facing opposite directions. The eggs are laid in pools created by spring floods, hidden in flora which prevents them from being swept away by currents. The aquatic hatchlings survive on detritus early in their lives, but gain their terrestrial adaptations quickly and soon make their way towards a Maineiac Rivershrog “village”. A Maineiac Rivershrog may allow as many as 10 Maineiac Shailnitors to live inside its nest, but there is often still a surplus of shailnitors each year; it is not uncommon for juveniles to be killed and used as bait when they become overpopulated, keeping their numbers in check.

Similar to its ancestor, the Maineiac Shailnitor has active respiration through a lung in its shell, which differs from that of non-shailnitor uktanks in that it is filled with air instead of water. It has desiccation-resistant chitinous skin, and ears derived from its shell.