[The] Two Seas

It is almost exclusively water.

In fact, there is only one mainland area (alongside a dozen thousand islands)! It is only a quarter in size to New Zealand (so 60,000~ kilometres), and most of it is buried under the waves, leaving a mere 5,000 kilometres up for occupation.

Humanity has set out drones and other forms of robots to explore this newfound planet and study its unique lifeforms.

This is not a Kaya.

Is your head in your ass? Is your ass in your head? Or do you lack an ass?

The Moga gum is a unique species of plant mainly living underwater, but an individual has colonised the shores of the Moga Island, amassing a size of 20 kms. They remain the second-largest and also the oldest, being estimated at a whopping 5,000 years old.

They have become a plentiful resource for nearby Paratas (pictured, one eating the gum) to healthily wear their jaws away—whatever that means—and munch while on the migration.

The taste is.. terrible. It is sweet and sour in all the horrible ways, something that the tongue actively resists. However, it acts similarly to weeds such as marijuana, inciting highs.

Despite having tongues, paratas are incapable of distinguishing good food from something that is borderline inedible, actively choosing to feed on this and not receiving any side effects that would have made it slightly enjoyable.

But is is very healthy, often eaten by mothers to later regurgitate in their children’s mouth—with all the nutrients extracted to feed the kids.

Do not try eating it, let alone touching it, because it is incredibly sticky and if you are stuck in it, we will not care to save you.

The Ewok—not to be confused with the Atorks of similar appearance—is the largest terrestrial on Tx-199, characterised by its bulky body, and the iconic large black spot on its body resembling an eye. It is primarily omnivorous.

It is 2 meters (6 feet) in stature when its sail is open, with the same body length.

One unique thing about it is that all individuals of the species are cosexual in nature, able to be fertilised and to fertilise at the same time. The main way of sexing them is by the presence of whiskers, which is denoted by teserian (Tx-equivalent of testosterone) levels.

They breed across the Tx-199 year cycle, and become pregnant for upwards of a full cycle at the maximum, before giving live birth to one singular pup, who will feed exclusively on moss until it “weans” by varying its diet at half a year cycle of age, or one Earth year.

Although social in nature, they are often spotted alone or in small pairs of one or two other individuals.

Despite their mainly terrestrial nature, they thrive around swamps and feed on the small aquatic life, but may venture out at sea to feed on bigger prey.

The kaya (Kaya kaya) is a carnivorous species of pisciherbivore. It has bone-like structures that make up its teeth, but it remains mainly an invertebrate, as it lacks a spine. They occupy the Southern hemisphere, close to the equator.

All individuals are born cosexual, being able to both impregnate and be impregnated akin to Earthly nudibranchs. However, it can not fertilise itself and thus must seek out mates.

Their main form of attraction is by flashing their colours. The most vibrant ones are chosen, and they lay eggs in shallow caverns that are 2 mm wide. They hatch in 2 weeks, and are born only one singular millimeter.

They grow into one solid meter in size, making them the third-largest pisciherbivore. Interestingly, they are the only carnivorous pisciherbivore.

Like all pisciherbivores, their flesh has formed symbiosis with plants, which are the iconic fins extending from its body, where it gives nutrients to in exchange for an enhanced immune system. This reduces the need of expelling waste.

Their main hunting method is leaping out of the water and catching unsuspecting fliers by snapping their jaws akin to a clam. They may also do this for nearby prey.

However, when that fails, they go dig into the sand and camouflage as a plant themselves, using the microscopic appendages on their jaw to detect disturbances in the water. This has a near-100% success rate.

Oxanets (Pinvitoa magnota) are the largest species of animal that occupy land. They live on the largest archipelago, which is the Moga Islands, named as such because one of the largest organisms ever recorded—a colony of moss-like seaweed stretching 100 kilometres (62 miles)—occupies it.

Although they have the capability of eating meat from, they mainly feed on Moga moss alongside herbipiscides (class of fish-like organisms with insides resembling plants), making them herbivores. They will only eat meat in famines.

Males are considerably bigger and have a large sail, while females are smaller but lead entire groups. Their social hierarchy operates on a basis where the oldest females lead, and the older males are second—taking care of her pups.

In the case the matriarch dies, the oldest male will temporarily take lead until a new female is chosen. Groups may combine with others either temporarily or permanently, although the hierarchy remains the same.

Below is a diagram showing sexual dimorphism.

Pups are born year-round, although births spike up in summers and springs and fall in the winter and autumn. The mothers will begin producing a substance resembling milk, described by scientists as tasting “so fucking good […] as sweet as chocolate”

They wean after 1 Tx-199 year (or 2 Earth years) and begin eating Moga moss. They reach adulthood in 6 more years, in which case the males will leave the group and either create their own or move to another.

The females have a lifespan of 40 years, while the males have 38. For both sexes, the mortality rates are high in the first year alone and most never survive past a few months due to extensive predation.

The Xypi (Piscivade shara), pronounced Shī-vĩ, is an alien resembling a mola-mola. It uses a large eye-like splotch with a black dash resembling a pupil for camouflage.

Unlike other piscivades, it swims backwards. What is the small hole on its supposed front is actually an anus, and the mouth is located just between the fins. It filter feeds on plankton and other small organisms, but has the capability of eating manmade debris without problems.

They mate in the spring, grouping into massive swarms in tropical equators far from their homes in the cold poles.

They give live birth to an estimated 200,000 babies each season per individual, although most of them die before reaching adulthood.

The babies are born a mere 2 centimetres (1 inch), but grow rapidly to a whopping 10 metres (32~ ft) in a matter of 6 Earth years, which is the time taken to reach adulthood.

Unfortunately, they do not live longer than their intended lifespan, which is 20 years. The oldest was reported only to be 25. Their ages are calculated by the small rings on their upper fins, in which one grows for each cycle around Sol-8 that Tx-199 makes—lasting exactly 2 Earth years.

They can live up to two full decades. Like other piscivades and the entirety of Piscidae in general, they keep their fertility throughout their entire lives and only lose it in times of heavy and rapid stress.

Attempts to keep them in captivity have gone surprisingly well, especially when paired with other animals. This may reflect their social hierchary, where the largest females lead the swarms. It may also have to do with stimulation.

They also survive fine solely on manmade debris, although it is advised not to use them as cleaning machines as they do not thrive well and need varied diets.

The Nyroom (Pseudocetacidi megafaurnis) is the largest animal lifeform, characterised by its unusually familiar body akin to that of a baleen whale and four flippers. Its tail ends with a shark-like tip, and it eats plankton.

Unlike Earthly cetaceans, the Nyroom show no interest in socialisation. They live mainly solitary lives, but will congregate in tropical areas when the need to mate arises.

They lay eggs that are a few inches wide, with small pups inside protected by a thick and strong barrier of yolk-like material.

They are often born with no pigments, making them completely white. They gain colour by eating their food.

Below is one of the mentioned eggs.

Their external “gills” are extremely prominent to hide the underdeveloped breathing system till it finishes, in which case the child immediately breaks out of the yolk.

They are laid in environments with the most algae. Some of their behaviour is unknown due to their elusive behaviour, hiding under the water and generally being shy and neophobic (afraid of new things)