Pelagic Sawshrimp
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Brachiognatha
Infraphylum: Gnathomorpha
Clade: Chondrostomata
Clade: Caridoprionididomorpha
Class: Caridoprionidida
Clade: Caridoprioniformes
Order: Caridoprionida
Family: Caridoprionidae
Subfamily: Caridoprioninae
Genus: Caridoprion
Species: C. pelagica (“pelagic shrimp-saw”)
Ancestral species: a creature similar to Pikaia gracilens
Temporal range: ~7.5 million Nicoch years to recent (1 Nicoch year = 1.3 Earth years)
Information:
In a far-off galaxy on the other side of the cosmos lies an ocean planet called Nicochnya. Slightly larger than Earth and orbiting twin stars, this planet was seeded by the Eos during the Permian around 255 million years ago. One of the most prominent groups seeded from Archaeonesia were a peculiar group of basal chordates called brachiognathes (subphylum Brachiognatha). In the 255 million years since, Nicochnya has experienced a great deal of environmental changes, having recently gone through the end of a global ice age, causing its sea levels to rise hundreds of feet and blanketing 85% of the planet’s surface underwater, and as the environments changed, so, too, did the brachiognathes themselves, radiating into fish-like forms in the absence of true fish. One species, Caridoprion pelagica, or the pelagic sawshrimp, can be found prowling the planet’s seaways.
Typically approaching 12-16 feet in length and weighing about as much as 1,500 lbs, the pelagic sawshrimp is one of the larger species of caridoprionidans (class Caridoprionida). One of Nicochnya’s most common aquatic megafaunal predators, the pelagic sawshrimp can be found in the hundreds of thousands if not millions in the tropical and subtropical oceans of the planet, primarily dwelling in open ocean, though vagrants may be found in the shallow tropical seas of the region as well, inhabiting the edge of the continental shelf. They typically prefer the photic zone of the ocean, though they can also be found in the mesopelagic zone and have been occasionally spotted in the bathypelagic zone. Though typically solitary in nature, it may sometimes show facultative social tendencies similar to those of sharks and crocodiles, wherein multiple individuals who happen to be in the same place at the same time may work together to catch prey. While typically not aggressive to divers, it is noted as being an extremely inquisitive species which often nudges or lightly bites objects and things which catch its curiosity (sometimes affectionally called “love taps”), something which can be mistaken for aggression. Amongst the sawshrimps, it shows a remarkable degree of intelligence, often tracking and analyzing prey from afar before attacking. Known to migrate long distances in search of food, a pelagic sawshrimp may travel as much as 20 miles in search of food on a given day, making use of its acute sense of smell to smell out suitable prey from afar. Some have even been found following shoals of smaller brachiognathes in order to pick off members on the peripheries. All that said, its keen eyesight is its main advantage, and some scientists believe it may be almost on par with some fast-moving Earth fish like tuna.
Showing a remarkable degree of convergent evolution to the extinct eugeneodontiform Edestus, the pelagic sawshrimp is adapted primarily to hunting shelled cephalopods like the many species of belemnoids and ammonites found in Nicochnya’s waterways, though smaller brachiognathes and the few species of placoderms found on Nicochnya frequently make up part of its diet as well, taking a particular liking to a variety of derived brachiognathes with armored shells called spritefish (order Ichthyoteuthida). It may also scavenge the carcasses of megalocephs (order Megalocephida), a group of more derived brachiognathes who fill a niche on Nicochnya analogous to whales on Earth, and on rare occasions, where other food sources are exhausted or the individual is injured, they may prey upon the planet’s native sophonts, the mermaid-like Hiirgava, themselves a variety of brachiognathes. It often relies on ramming its prey at high speeds to kill and dismember it, the prey sliding along the teeth and being torn in half as it bites down. Prey which may not otherwise be killed quickly may be thrashed around violently to dismember it before being devoured.
Though pelagic sawshrimp are not vocal in the way more derived brachiognathes are, they can produce a sound variously described as “grunting”, “chirping”, “scraping”, or “growling” by grinding together the teeth in their pharyngeal jaws. The function of this remains unknown, though it appears to be used most commonly when in proximity to larger predators, suggesting it may be a way of warding off potential threats.
Unlike the sharks whose visage they invoke, the pelagic sawshrimp does not engage in internal fertilization, but rather, they will congregate along the continental shelf in massive numbers, males and females alike, where the females will release their eggs into the water while the males release sperm on top of the eggs, fertilizing the eggs externally. The eggs will then be carried by the ocean currents, and those that are not eaten by other ocean animals will eventually settle in the shallow seas, where they will hatch after a few days. The larvae, called fry, are microscopic and planktivorous, feeding on zooplankton and gradually growing in size of the span of several weeks. By around a month, they will become known as “pups” and are about the size of a human thumb. At this point, the pups will graduate to larger prey, feeding on small brachiognathes and cephalopods. They will continue to grow until they reach adult size at between 6-9 years old and sexual maturity and sexual maturity at roughly 8 years of age, at which point, they will join the other adults in the open ocean, leaving the shallows behind. A healthy adult can expect to live anywhere between 25-37 years.
An incredibly intelligent animal, this creature holds an incredibly rich and complex relationship with the Hiirgava. For one, its habit of attacking trapped animals in their nets and taking speared or harpooned fish makes it a nuisance to many hunters. However, its great intelligence also means that it can be tamed and trained much like a dog, and many Hiirgava tribes have used this to their advantage throughout the ages, capturing their eggs and raising them in confined spaces until large enough to be used as hunting and travel companions, fetching prey for them as well as wounding it and slowing it down long enough for hunters to deliver the kill shot. However, there is also an element to this creature’s relationship with the Hiirgava that is deeply religious in nature, as it is believed to be to be able to travel between the world of the living and Fīīshāālun (Central Hiirgava: /ɸiː˧.ʃaː˧.lun/~/ɸiː˧.ʃaː˧.lun/, /βiː˧-/, /-ʒa˧-/~/θa˧-/~/ða˧-/, /-lun̥/, “(The) Eternal Sky”, “(The) Endless Sky”), the so-called “Cosmic Ocean” which is said to house the souls of the deceased as the many stars which lay in the night sky and where the celestial gods of Hiirgava mythology are said to dwell, as well as being believed to act as a psychopomp which leads the souls of the deceased to the depths of the ocean, where they meet the death god and god of the deep, Shuurash (Central Hiragava: /ʃuː.raʃ/~/ʒuː.raʒ/~/θuː.raθ/~/ðuː.rað/, /-r̥-/), who puts them through a series of trials they must first pass before being allowed to ascend to Fīīshāālun. However, this does not stop some from consuming the animal’s flesh, and those tribes living in less prey-dense water may raise them for food. It is also known for its uncanny ability to detect underwater earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis well before they strike, and thus, it is when these animals act erratically that the Hiirgava know to head for open water. One of the easiest of Nicochnya’s oceanic wildlife to transport and take care of, it is a popular animal in aquariums across the cosmos. Breaching behavior has been observed amongst this species, though its function is unknown. Some researchers suggest, however, that it may be a way to rid themselves of skin parasites. It is known by many names amongst the denizens of Nicochnya, such as ps’aanǃúúrfíí (Central Hiirgava: /p͜sʼaːn.ǃuːr˥.ɸiː˥/~/p͜sʼaːn̥.ǃuːr̥˥.ɸiː˥/, /-βiː˥/, “the dagger-mouthed one”/“the one with a mouth like daggers”) and lúnɗáápmìtnráá (Central Hiirgava: /lun˥.ɗaːp˥.miʈ˩.ɳaː˥/~/l̥un̥˥.ɗ̥aːp˥.m̥iːʈ˩.ɳ̊aː˥/, “star swimmer”) by some Hiirgava tribes and to the Serelqi, a settler species from another planet which descend from dromeosaurs, t’aant’úúrvíí (Nicoch Serelqi: /tʼaːn.tʼɯᵝːɮ͈˥.ð̼iː˥/, borrowed from Central Hiirgava ps’aangǃúúrfíí) or sanjûč (Nicoch Serelqi: /san.d͡zɯᵝt͡ʃ˧ ˥ /, “water dzooch [a dog-like creature domesticated by the Serelqis on their homeworld]).