Gobbler

Gobblers are a medium-sized species of freshwater fish found in the lakes of Red Rock Island.

Anatomy

One of the biggest yet slowest fish in Lake Kay and its surrounding calderas and lakes, gobblers are a purplish colour with some orange accents. They have an overall round appearance, with incredibly large mouths (hence the name). A pair of horizontally slit eyes sit on the tops of their heads, which give them view of the lakes above as they swim close to the lakebeds. They have small, rounded dorsal fins, a large rounded caudal fin, a pair of small pectoral fins and a tiny anal fin. The colour of the gobbler depends on the quality of the water, with darker purple gobblers living in worse quality water and lighter purple gobblers living in better quality water.

Reproduction

Gobblers are not picky when it comes to finding mates. Usually it takes them about five minutes to find a suitable partner, and that is mostly because they cannot tell the difference between males and females, even when it is obvious to us. Gobblers don't stay with their mates either, in fact they find several new mates every year. Because of how fast gobblers reproduce, their offspring fill the rivers to the brim and during hatching season predator populations skyrocket.

Male gobblers are very aggressive towards babies that are not of their own. They have been known to attack and eat babies that aren't theirs, and it usually a very bloody ordeal. To combat this, females will mate with as many males as possible, so when the babies hatch the males will not know if it their baby, and won't attack them. Surprisingly this method works, and male gobbler attacks on babies are fairly uncommon.

Habitat

Gobblers are endemic to Red Rock Island on Dracosei, where they live in the various lakes and slow-moving rivers in the chain of volcanoes in the centre of the island.

Diet

Short seagrasses are the perfect meal for gobblers. They use the flat rows of teeth in their mouths to shave off the tops of the grass, and their poop is so rich in nutrients that they help these seagrasses to grow faster. Gobblers have been seen taking on Gobbler, sometimes even winning the battle and eating them.

Matokalan Delicacy

Since these fish are the most common thing to find in the lakes around Karai'a, gobblers have been caught and cooked ever since the matokale settled there. Fishing is a common activity too, and with the frequency at which gobblers are caught they are a cheap fish to buy. They can be prepared in many different ways, and the fat is used to flavour all kinds of other foods.

Parasitism

Gobblers share a parasitic relationship with rock slugs. Rock slugs are nasty little creatures that bite the bellies of fish and crustaceans, and slowly digest their insides without the host even noticing, only dying once the rock slugs make it to their vital organs. Worst case scenario is that rock slugs become so large that fish cannot swim, and become easy prey for predators on the lake and riverbeds.

Gobbler by Mochi

Lifespan

3 - 4 years

Average Length

1 foot

Geographic Distribution

• Karai'a
• Red Rock Island

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