Jadeel

Jadeels are some of the most interesting yet dangerous creatures in the tropical reefs of Ocearia. Driven to extinction in the tropical reefs of the Kirinian Kingdom, they are now solely found outside kingdom territories.

Anatomy

Jadeels have long serpent-like bodies, with seven rows of short red/purple spikes along their bodies that help them dig into the ground, preventing predators from dragging them out once they are discovered. They reach a maximum of 6 to 8 metres in length, females reaching a maximum length of 6 metres, while males 8 metres, but most commonly 6 or 7.

Their dorsal, caudal and anal fins are fused to form a long ribbon-like fin running along their backs, which can raise and sink based on the fish's emotion. A semi-blind animal, jadeels have no eyes on the outside of their bodies but instead have three eyes on the inside of their upper jaw; the reason for this is unknown. Their gums are a sandy colour, to help blend in with the environment.

Relationships & Reproduction

Courtship & Nests

Male jadeels will impress females by "dancing" for them. They will attempt to please a female by swimming in circles, upside down, twirling around the female, and finish off their performance by giving her their favourite plant.

Jadeels have small burrows right at the bottom of where they hunt for creatures. They dig out a hole in the ground, where females can lay their eggs. Jadeels breed in the summers, their eggs taking about 5 weeks to hatch. Females lay anywhere from 5 to 20 eggs, ranging from 9-14 on average.

Lifecycle

Baby jadeels dig out themselves small tunnels to get out and get into the burrows while the parents are lying in wait for food, and when the babies are too big to fit through they are ready to leave the nest. These babies take up to a year to grow to this size.

Babies don't have sharp spikes along their bodies, instead to prevent themselves from injuring their siblings they are rather blunt. As they age, the spikes grow longer and sharper, never stopping, so they need to file them down on rocks.

Diet

These serpents have a hunting method similar to bobbit worms. Burying themselves deep inside the sand of tropical reefs, they open their three jaws to reveal a long, snaky tongue, looking similar to a food that fish would eat. When fish bite their tongue, the jadeel snaps its mouth shut, and consumes the prey. They primarily eat fish, crustaceans, and any other creature big enough to bite their tongue, and small enough that the jadeel can swallow.

If they cannot gather enough food, then they will abandon their hole in the seabed and scour the open waters for food. Not exactly effective, their last resort is to open their mouths as wide as possible, so they can see, and to swim at great speeds in order to catch any slow moving fish. This uses up a lot of energy, and can only be done once every few days for a short amount of time.

Habitat

Jadeels once inhabited the many tropical reefs of Ocearia, before they were hunted to extinction. Their tongues dangling from the seabed were a common sight, and some fish had even caught on and started avoiding the animals. The inside of their mouths are a sandy colour, to help blend into the environment.

They have been hunted to extinction in the borders of kingdoms, so they are now just found rarely outside of any kingdom's land.

Domestication & Uses

Domestication

In previous years, the Uabar Region actually used jadeels in their armies. Soldiers were taught to ride jadeels into battle, and were trained to bond with their jadeel and form a close relationship. Uabarians believed that jadeels were incredibly smart creatures, and were capable of expressing emotions on the same level as themselves, making them great companions and fantastic war-creatures.

Uses

Jadeel spines have been used for spearfishing for thousands of years. Kirinians added their reddish-purple spikes onto the end of long poles, and used them to spear fish and cook them. Groups of Kirinians made their way out of the kingdom borders, to go on hunting missions. They would spend days searching for jadeels to kill, their tough scales looked gorgeous in many clothes and armour, their spikes and bones used for weapons, and their meat used for food.

Lifespan

16 years

Average Length

6-8 metres

Geographic Distribution

• Ocearia

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