#gadunka

Holy Gadunka

That's, um, quite the promotion.

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The World of Soaring is a Prehistoric Fantasy, there are some creatures that are meant to directly reference real prehistoric creatures and others that are just my own concept of. Two things to remember is that all Terrestrial Vertebrate species are Hexapods (so they have 6 Limbs), and every creature has at least 1 uncanny magical ability.

Tarakovani

This creature was inspired directly by the Bionicle creature called the Tarakava. The Tarakava was described as a Lizard-like Amphibian Sea Creatures that hunt in pairs. Usually it's also upright and has Tank Treads for legs, and boxing glove-like hands. Unfortunately I could not justify giving a biological creature tank treads. Instead I gave it four short back legs that allow them to waddle on land and swim fast like an amphibian seal. When planted on the ground they are able to rear upright to strike threats and competitors with their armored knuckles, and in the water they can use their hooked claws to turn over rocks to find creatures hiding from them. I looked up if there were any true Salt Water Amphibians, and the answer is...Kinda. Amphibians breath through their skin so Saltwater would probably bother them, however there are some Amphibians that live in Brackish Water between Fresh and Salt Water. I imagine the Tarakava like to live in Tropical Lagoons and Tidal Marshes, resting in shallower fresh water areas and then going out into deeper Saltier water during the day to hunt. Their skin is loose on their body so they have more surface area to take in oxygen but their magical ability allows them to tighten and harden their skin like solid stone making them more resilient to Salt Water, and can resist most attacks on their body, but only so long as they have stored oxygen reserves since they can't take in Oxygen while hardened. Diplocoaultani

Based on the real world prehistoric amphibian Diplocaulus with the Boomerang shaped head that possibly was used for defense making them harder to eat but also may have functioned like a hydrofoil giving them lift to glide through the water. These creatures additionally have wing-like fins and a powerful tail making them appear like a small Water Dragons.

Axillipactli

The Axillipactli start their lives as many amphibians living in the water, but over time as they grow they begin treading into the same niche as crocodilians, which is a successful niche but also one that is already occupied and would be out competed or preyed on by the crocodilians in question. So as they mature their external gills shrink and retract into their bodies and the Axillipactli use their the sticky pads of their toes to make for the trees and camouflage among the leaves and ambush Birds, Goblins, and other creatures that would be out of reach of water dwellers. They live in tropical rainforests keeping moist by the frequent rainfall.

Nochimichi Giant Earth Salamandra

The Giant Earth Salamander are uniquely resistant to heat and toxic chemicals, making them comfortable around bodies of water with volcanic activity or around Atlentotonik who's magic allows them to create artificial springs. The Atlentotonik may first prey on them when they are young but by the time they are full grown they do not bother. The young are able to feed on the heat and chemicals from volcanic activity (As well as special alge that like them resist the extremes of living in hot springs and geyser pools) incorporating them into their body to make their skin toxic. Then as they get older they are large and strong enough to live around cooler water and in deep mud flattening their bodies out to ambush prey. Their magic also allows them to create tremors in the ground to cause prey to fall in or get stuck deeper in the mud. Ignuillia

They appear to be an Eel-like creature but they are actually a fully aquatic amphibian that spends almost it's entire life in the water but like eels, they are also able to cross land for short periods of time. They are mostly blind but have a sensitive sense of touch allowing them to feel motion in the water, which helps them hunt in tight rocky crevasses. They have a sticky mucous coating around their body that they can inflate like a bubble around their body. When something makes contact with the mucus, it actually feels burning hot even under water creating a deadly burning mucusy web that can not be easily seen or detected till you are already caught. These webs are also found in tight spaces so once something swims in there are very few places to move but into the web. Ignuillia are not pack hunters but will gang up together if something catches in one of their traps. Gadunkabufo

It's apparently Bionicle day. Here's Gadunka's badunka