Original Species!

Instructions

click space! PLS SUGGEST A NAME FOR THEM! This is my original species! Their working name is "Aquatic Cave Rat" They are semi-open ig, just ask me and if I say yes remix with a drawing of yours :) Scientific Name: Rodentia Aquatillium (thanks to @fourfivetwo!) Possible Names: Bliquadon, Chivadon, ... SENSES They evolved in the deepest, darkest caves. There is never any light, and the only food source is the fish and crayfish living in the cave pools. They became blind, but developed many other unique senses. They have a "lateral line" like a fish to detect vibrations, large, round ears, lots of sensory hairs, electromagnetic receptors in their snout and front paws, an "electric organ" like a fish, and the ability to echolocate. LOOKS With only aquatic prey available, they adapted to cope with that by growing a short, shark-like tail, webbing between their toes, and a fin down their back. They also developed small, backwards-facing teeth and outwards-facing canines to grab and hold fish. Backwards-facing barbs cover their dark-blue tongue. They have sleek, otter-like fur that sheds water and traps heat. They have viciously hooked claws and the males have a fighting spur on the back of their paws (oop in the first picture it shows the spur on his elbow-) Energy preservation is key in the caves. To help with this they lost most of their pigmentation, so are only pale shades of greys, silvers, and pinks. HABITAT They live in small caverns, always near a water source. BREEDING Females lay eggs but also feed their babies milk (like a platypus XD). The females look after all the eggs in a communal nest. The females grow long fur on their chests to make nests out of. HABITS Females live in groups of 2-4. These groups consist of a few older females and their daughters. Their daughters usually live with them until they are a few years old and then they leave to form their own group. They sleep in a large pile to conserve heat. Males are kicked out once they are a year old. They then wander the cave system or swim through underground rivers until they find a group of females. The male will then hang around the females and attempt to chase off any male guarding them. HUNTING Aquatic Cave Rats are ambush hunters. They will wait with their paw or snout in the water, or with their long whiskers draped over the water, and when they sense a fish they will strike, grabbing it in their mouth or flicking it out of the water. The way they hunt in deeper water is to sit submerged in the pool, since they can hold their breath for up to half an hour, and wait until they sense a fish or lobster coming by. They then lunge forwards and latch onto the creature. To stop their ears from creating drag, they fold them forwards and seal them over their eyes STATS Aquatic Cave Rats are small creatures, just larger than your average rat. Usually they are 500-800 grams but in areas of more abundant prey they can grow up to 1kg. They can reach a height of 12(ish??) inches at the shoulder and are around 15(ish??) inches long. They live for 5-10 years.