#moha-moha

Image © deviantArt user Ognimdo2002, accessed at his gallery here

[The moha-moha is a sea serpent sighting from Australia, which was met with lots of condescension and skepticism, even by people who were all-in on sea monsters, because it was sighted by a woman. I've decided to take it as an aquatic equivalent of my atelosaurus--a reptile from a modern family convergently evolved to resemble a Mesozoic reptile. I also am including a little bit more evolutionary ideas: I wanted to make it a Mullerian mimic of a dragon turtle.]

Moha-Moha CR 9 N Animal This creature resembles a turtle the size of a small whale. Its neck is long, allowing its beaked head ample range of movement, and it has a long tail with a fish-like fin.

The moha-moha is a carnivorous turtle that resembles a plesiosaur. They are durophages, using their hard beaks to crush shelled prey like mollusks, crustaceans and other turtles. They will even graze on coral if other prey is scarce, although such a diet brings them into competition with reef mashers. Moha-mohas look somewhat like dragon turtles, and some sages believe this is a form of mimicry. Not that moha-mohas are not dangerous in and of themselves—the two species’ similarities reinforce the association with potential predators to leave them alone.

A moha-moha, like other marine turtles, must lay its eggs on the shore. Doing so is a labor-intensive process, as the beasts have difficulty moving on land. Before egg-laying is when these animals are the most likely to interact with humans, as they remain in shallow water for several days before emerging to prepare, and for several days after to rest. And any shellfish pools or lobster pots they are near are likely to be tempting targets for snacks.

Moha-moha as Animal Companions Moha-mohas are not very intelligent and do not take training well. They are rarely found tamed by either aquatic or terrestrial humanoids, but are sometimes used as animal companions by aquatic druids.

Starting Statistics: Size Medium; Speed 10 ft., swim 40 ft.; AC +3 natural armor; Attack bite (1d8), tail slap (1d6); Ability Scores Str 13, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 1, Wis 13, Cha 8; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent. 4th-Level Advancement: Size Large; AC +3 natural armor; Attack bite (2d6), tail slap (1d8); Ability Scores Str +8, Dex –2, Con +4; Special Attacks crunching critical (bite, x3 critical without natural armor reduction),tail sweep (10 foot radius, Str based DC)

On This Day in Cryptid History

Cryptid of the Day: Moha-Moha