Open Ocean
The open oceans off the coast of teratopia are vast and represent a habitat supported by plankton, which forms the base of the food pyramid. Feeding on plankton are various small invertebrates, and on those, shoals of fish, both familiar and novel. The fish are preyed upon by various vertebrate predators, which also prey on each-other.
The open oceans off the coast of teratopia are vast and represent a habitat supported by plankton, which forms the base of the food pyramid. Feeding on plankton are various small invertebrates, and on those, shoals of fish, both familiar and novel. The fish are preyed upon by various vertebrate predators, which also prey on each-other.
Lord of the ocean is the Hydrarchos, a serpentine creature reaching up to 35 metres long and as much as 90 tons in weight, despite looking somewhat like a snake; it is actually a kind of whale. Swimming by serpentine undulations, mainly in the horizontal plane like an eel, it can also crane its neck up above the water, much like a swan or snake, as well as turn itself into a “U” shape doubling back on itself if it needs to. It feeds on a variety of sea creatures, including shoals of typical ocean fish and squid (taken by the mouthful), as well as other larger marine vertebrates, such as Proteosaurus and the Lewis and Clark Fish, these maritime battles are truly a magnificent sight. Being so huge, there are relatively low populations of such creatures, and reproduction is slow. Females will call for mates loudly underwater during the mating season in summer, and subsequently be pursued by a throng of males. In typical whale fashion, the males compete to mount and impregnate the female, such a sight so rarely seen and so perversely spectacular! One male will entwine the female like a snake, endeavouring to mount successfully, until he is forced free by another, more than one may succeed in fertilising the female. The female has a very long gestation, and gives birth to between 1 and 3 pups; the young usually have different fathers.
Stagonlepis is a giant Paleonisciform fish which is mostly found in the open ocean, it regularly reaches 3.5 meters long. Being covered in heavy, bony scales, it possesses a large swim-bladder to counteract their weight, but it feeds mostly by diving into the depths in search of various kinds of invertebrate prey. During the warmer part of the year, they congregate at the equator in large schools, and participate in mass spawning. Due to its large size and thick armoured scales, it is not preyed upon as often as other large fish.
The largest animal in all of Teratopia is the Leedsicthys, a whale-like oceanic fish which can reach a length of 30 meters. It feeds by taking huge mouthfuls of water, which pass over the comb-like gill-rakers, sieving out krill, baitfish and plankton. These huge fish range over the whole globe from month to month, constantly chasing the blooms of plankton that fluctuate with the seasons. Details of their breeding cycle remain unknown, but their annual migration to the poles suggests that they spawn in colder waters. Younger Leedsichthys are often preyed upon by Krakens and Hydrarchos, and occasionally even large individuals will be attacked, the predator only taking a non-lethal, chunk of flesh to sate its appetite.
The Proteosaurus is unique in being the only marine amphibian anywhere in Teratopia. An evolutionary intermediate between newts and lizards, the adult form is neotenous in retaining feathery gills, but it also possesses lungs, cutaneous respiration is absent. Well adapted for the open ocean, they swim much like a fish, beating their finned tail from side to side. They generally reach 2 to 3 metres long, but very old specimens may be somewhat larger, as they grow continuously their whole lives. Usually feeding on fish, squid and other marine invertebrates, the jaws are lined with many pointed teeth to hold their slippery prey. Spawning occurs during spring, when males clasp the females and fertilise the eggs as they are laid, the result is swathes of floating amphibian spawn, which are often eaten by a variety of smaller ocean creatures.
The open ocean plays host to many pelagic, drifting invertebrates, and Bellerophina is one such creature. Being a tiny ammonite some half a centimetre in diameter, it has a very geometrical, almost spherical shell that allows it to drift passively in large swarms, snagging the plankton that makes up its diet. They are commonly preyed upon by larger invertebrates, and are mostly helpless in these instances. Spawning occurs in summer, where large swarms meet at the equator, mingling their gametes in the water until it forms a thick soup.
The Lewis and Clark Fish is the second largest creature inhabiting Teratopia’s oceans, reaching 14 metres long, it’s a formidable, barracuda-like fish that has a jaw over a metre long, bristling with slender, sharp teeth. These fish will travel in small groups of up to 5, and prey on shoals of fish or squid by using teamwork to herd them into a tight bait ball at the surface. Proteosaurus are sometimes taken too, requiring a different hunting strategy of separating a few stragglers from their number. Also being adept scavengers with a fine sense of smell, they invariably track down floating corpses, such as deceased Hydrarchos, or members of their own kind. Particularly large aggregations of baitfish or squid will often attract more than one group of Lewis and Clark Fish, and a feeding frenzy will ensue. Fry of this large fish are generally found in southern waters, so spawning may occur towards the South Pole.
Edestus is a large open-water shark, usually around 6 meters long. They prey mainly on shoals of fish and squid, but will also scavenge floating carcasses, and overpower other animals like Proteosaurus. When chasing fish they will often swiftly charge into the shoal, striking with its large saw-edged dorsal fin, afterward picking off the wounded and crippled fish. The formidable saw-like projections on the dorsal fin are actually serrations of the large spine that supports the fin. Mating is done via internal fertilisation, and the female gives birth to litters of up to 20 pups. Larger predators are generally repelled by the serrated fin spine, but Hydrarchos sometimes attack them by biting off the back half of the animal.
An inhabitant of the deep ocean trenches, far from land, the Triassic Kraken is Teratopia’s largest predator. Reaching up to 30 meters in length (including the tentacles), this gargantuan squid is a formidable hunter. Though it does part of its feeding in the depths, on fish and other squid, it is most infamous for its excursions to surface waters. Triassic Krakens will often hunt close to the surface, where they can overpower other large marine predators, like Hydrarchos and Proteosaurus. After a significant struggle, it will drag its prey back to the deep to consume; usually any single kraken will have a very large territory centred around a main “lair”. This lair is usually a calm sheltered spot, most often close to a rocky outcrop or hill-like rise in the sea floor, and it is there that the Kraken will stash his kill after he has finished eating. Sometimes it will come back and snack on the leftovers, but eventually, all that remains are bones. Possessing a great intelligence even for a cephalopod, Krakens will distract themselves by arranging dead bones into loose patterns that they find appealing. Occasionally, vertebrae may be arranged in rows that resemble a crude self-portrait.
Placoderms are fish about as large as a trout that can be found in large shoals in the open ocean, they swim powerfully but are not very streamlined. The most prominent feature of this fish is the head and torso which is covered in armour plating, a very oily liver makes them neutrally buoyant, and the flange-like pectoral fins act as stabilisers and rudders. They are blind, but have highly a highly sensitive lateral line, and a fine sense of smell, seeking out swarms of marine invertebrates such as Conodontophores and planktonic shrimps by their scent trails alone. Their jaws are tough and plated, and they are not fazed by eating creatures with defensive spines. Despite being heavily armoured at the front, they are often prey to larger ocean predators, such as Lewis and Clark Fish or Hydrarchos, which often swallow them whole anyway. Proteosaurus have a more dainty way of dealing with the armour; they catch the Placoderm by the tail, bite off and eat the un-armoured rear half, and discard the rest.
Ammonites are a kind of shelled cephalopod, which are commonly seen on the surface of the sea, most often in the open ocean. There are a few different kinds, which have differently ridged and patterned shells, size varies from 5 to 30 centimetres across. Their calcareous shells have chambers filled with air, which allows them to float very easily, steering by catching the wind on a pair of sail-like tentacles. Hunting and feeding consists of snagging smaller creatures with their tentacles, which is not always hard, as any shadow cast by a floating object in the open ocean will attract creatures seeking shelter. Ammonites are preyed upon by some marine creatures, most often those that can extract them from their shells.
Ainiktozoon is a bizarre 25 centimetre-long planktonivore that swims freely in shoals throughout Teratopia’s global ocean, occurring more densely in the tropics. Being an unusual relative of the earliest vertebrates, it possesses a muscular tail topped with 10 or so fin-like appendages which beat rhythmically to aid it in swimming, the underside of the tail has a line of defensive spines. The large, pouch like mouth sits atop the animals back, lined inside and out with filaments which extract tiny plankton from the water, excreta and filtered water is expelled from the anus beneath the body. It can sense and evade danger thanks to its fairly large compound eyes. Shoals spawn to coincide with the blooming of large amounts of plankton, gametes are expelled together as they swim in hormone fuelled agitation. Possessing only a relatively thin plated head-shield, these swimmers are commonly preyed upon by predators such as Proteosaurus.
Vetulicola is another swimming planktonivore that commonly forms huge shoals in the open ocean. Ranging from 7 to 9 centimetres long, despite looking vaguely like a fish, these are actually shrimp-like arthropods whose body is encased in a lozenge-shaped carapace. It takes in water at the front of the shell, passes it over its gills to respire, as well as filtering out plankton and edible particles before it is expelled through holes in the sides of the carapace. Breeding is done by spawning much as a fish does, releasing gametes into the water, drifting eggs hatch into larvae with form part of the microplantkon before growing into adults.
Megalograptus is the largest of the pelagic graptolites, reaching 70 centimetres across. In the open sea, these formidably spined graptolites drift passively; floating suspended a small way beneath the surface. The feathery feeding arms of its relatively few zooids gather tiny plankton and edible particles from the surrounding water. The long, fierce looking spines serve to defend it from being nibbled or bitten by other sea creatures. Spawning occurs during the warmer parts of the year.
One of the most ubiquitous of the larger plankton is the Conodontophore. Massive swarms of these spiny, barrel-like floaters can be found drifting in the open ocean. The many spines covering the front of the creature act as protection from some predators, and also anchor the feeding tentacles that line its mouth and throat. They are able to move to a small extent under their own power, by sucking in water through their mouth, and pumping it backwards out of the vent at the back. Generally though, they tend to drift with the current, allowing water to flow through their gullet, as the feeding tentacles pick up any smaller edible zooplankton, phytoplankton or detritus. Being fairly small, about a centimetre long or less, and half a centimetre in diameter, their spines do not repel all predators, and some fish with mouths consisting of horny or bony plates will eat many Conodontphores in a sitting. Spawning coincides with the seasonal fluctuations in plankton, and their larvae are passive, un-armoured drifters.
The Nectocaris is a small, free-swimming arthropod that forms huge shoals in the sunlit open seas around Teratopia, they are sometimes referred to as “Teratopian anchovies”. Ranging from 5 to 10 centimetres long, males are smaller than females, and colored a more purple shade of reddish pink. They appear at first to be small, tadpole-like fish, except that their head very much resembles a prawn of crayfish. In fact, they are shrimp-like arthropods, who have evolved a more tadpole-shaped, un-armoured rear half. The surface of the tail is rich in blood vessels, and serves in place of gills. This evolutionary transition has enabled them to become energetic swimmers on par with bait fish, beating their tail side-to-side to move swiftly. Feeding mainly on smaller shoaling and planktonic creatures, such as segmented worms, jellies, copepods, crustacean larva and fish-eggs, the mouth is surrounded by a cluster of jointed mandibles to snatch tiny morsels from the water. Seasonal food sources include Conodontophore larvae, and Proteosaurus spawn, which sometimes attract Nectocaris shoals in large numbers.