Maerrow

Maerrow
Fauna
Official Name	Maerrow
Common Nicknames	Water Gremlins, Swamp Goblins
Classification	Cetacean.
Habitat	New Ceardian swamps
Domesticated	Yes.
Current Status	Uncommon.

Small and aquatic, maerrow are predominantly seen in swamplands of New Ceardia, and will very rarely leave these climates unless they’re migrating to new swamps. The maerrow are natural scavengers, with long fingers that can easily grasp onto objects under or above water. These beasts were only recently found, and even more recently, hunted near extinction when a surge of maerrow-related deaths begun to occur.

Physical Description

Maerrow stand little less than the height of a Dwarf, and weigh very little due to their small, almost skeletal form. They are strikingly similar to Mer and Reef Maiar, yet have been classified by Regalian Historians as a separate animal. Most maerrow have scales ranging from various shades of blue (dark to light), yet some have a greener tinge to camouflage themselves in their environment. These beasts bear sharp teeth under their scaly lips. The maerrow have no hair covering their bodies, but often drape themselves in swamp plants to hide themselves from their prey. They have a single, large fin running down the tops of their heads, a pair of fins protruding from their cheekbones, and longer, hydrodynamic fins along their forearms. Their arms are long, dragging along the ground as they walk, and have four webbed fingers on the end of them. These fingers have a good grip both underwater and on the surface, as they are natural scavengers.

Natural Habitat

Maerrow are commonly found in the New Ceardian swamps. It is very rare to find maerrow outside of those climates. It is almost as rare to see them inside their habitat, as they often flee to hide in their underwater nests when larger animals approach. They will very rarely attack anything larger than them, due to their jittery and fearful nature. They are intolerant of overly cold weather and have little body fat to keep them warm, thus they must migrate to warmer climates in winters. This migration period is when Maerrow are most commonly sighted, as their normally reclusive and shy nature is overtaken by their urge to find warmer waters

First Recorded Encounter

The first maerrow to have been sighted was by a Human exploration team working for Regalia, who found them whilst scouting the southern swamplands in eastern New Ceardia. The group found had migrated to the area when the northern cold became too much for them to bear. At first, they were considered Reef Maiar, yet a further investigation a year later found them to be an entirely different animal.

History

Maerrow have largely been disregarded as feral and wild, too energetic to be kept as pets and very stubborn against the orders of Humans. However, an increase of maerrow-related deaths and drownings have prompted humans to kill maerrow on sight, leading to the near extinction of the beasts. Being the natural hiders they are, they survived and continue to live in small communities in the swamps.

Trivia

• Maerrow are largely unfit for the consumption of most races. Not only do they have a general lack of substantial meat, but their constant exposure to stagnant and dirty swamp water has caused their flesh to become foul. The few brave or foolish enough to consume maerrow meat have come down with food poisoning.
• Maerrow can hold their breath for three hours before resurfacing for air.
• Maerrow wait for their prey to die in their traps before eating them to conserve their own energy. They often divide meals equally between their communities.

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Accreditation
Writers Crugnor Processors Plecy, Ryciera, Finn_Ish	Last Editor Buffycreepslayer on 07/4/2016.

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