Fauna
Land Dwelling
Scriggs
- Status: Domesticated (Almiraj, and Dwarf primarily) Size: Small (.5 m *.2 m, 3-5 kg) Phylum: Gride (Any creature possessing a complete outer skeleton and no internal skeleton) Diet: Omnivores, primarily small vermin, grains, and plants Physiology: Scriggs consist of a long head portion, a curling segmented tail, 6 palps, and 10 long thin legs. The foremost set of legs are adapted into
- a form of offensive structure, varying on the breed. For breeds referred to as "boulder scriggs" the limbs are capped with a large overdeveloped segment of shell and in the "pointer scrigg" with an barbed set of pincers. In both cases these limbs are muscled to function as a spring enabling the scrigg to use them in both hunting and defense. Though now bread to the point of uselessness in the domestic breed scrigg tails end in a set of fins which, combined with the jet structures and gills on their belly, enabled them to move and survive in the amphibious swamps of their origin. The palps in the mouth of the scrigg contain 4 gripping claws and 2 tearing claws that process food into the mouth which passes it along to a gullet for further digestion. Adult scriggs, while healthy and well fed often go through molts at a rate of 1 every 8 months. Male scriggs are smaller and substantially fewer than the females and possess a large colorful dorsal structure along the tail that fans out during mating displays.
Reproduction: Female scriggs periodically (3-5 days in egg layer breeds, 1-2 weeks in others) lay a clutch of as many as 30 eggs. During the first few - days of being laid the eggs retain a soft and semipermeable membrane that allows the male to fertilize same. Regardless of fertilization the eggs develop a hardened shell after those few days and the membrane secreted around the eggs likewise hardens in place to protect the eggs. Fertilized eggs then develop into a "beanling" or larva (.05 m in length) which then locates a suitable body of water for hiding, feeding, and growth. Larva reach adulthood in about 22 weeks.
Uses: Scriggs are primarily domesticated as a food source with the unfertilized eggs and the large muscles of the forelegs and tail being exceptionally - common in many forms of Bun cooking. While the shells are thick, sturdy, and strong enough to be useful there is (with the noted exception of the prism scrigg breed) a heavy stigma against things built using the shells as they are mostly associated with the poor and lower classes, especially Scrigg ranchers who frequently use the shells as roofing material due to their waterproof nature.
Freshwater
Saltwater
