Author Notes - Oops! Slight delay because I've been sick with 'the dreaded' for the past few days. It screwed up my throat, which is bad because I proofread by reading things out loud. But I'm well (ish) again so let's go!
(AQUATIC) GRUB-DOG FAMILY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Bipoda
Order: Bulborousa
EMILY'S PERSONAL NOTES
Geez, the adaptability of the Grub-dogs will never fail to impress me. Like, I thought they were varied enough, but now I'm finding that there's even some in the water! With gills and everything! Like, it'd be one thing if all three of them were part of the Ichthyosa genus, cos then they'd be kinda disconnected from the dry guys, but one of them is in the same genus as the Bulborbs! How did such a close relative get such a different habitat?
Aquatic life in general is just… fascinating, to borrow a word from my favourite fictional scientist. Maybe it's just because ocean life is something that is impossible for most sapient beings, but the oceans just give you SO MUCH cool stuff. Like, without exaggeration, any weird or wild animal that you can think of probably came from the ocean. Angler fish - with their glowing lights and downright bizarre sexual dimorphism - is one of my favourites.
(Also, I had to type out the words 'prominent red lips', and that made me mildly uncomfortable. If you don't get why, I don't feel right with going into detail about it.)
PHYSICAL APPEARANCES
For the most part, the aquatic members of the Grub-dog family do not bear an obvious resemblance to their dry counterparts, though the near-identical skeletal structure makes this connection clear.
The Ichthyosa felinis (Water Dumple) resembles a bluish blob. It is covered in indigo-coloured bumps, with a small series of short pinkish tentacles on its behind. When it is standing still, it may seem like nothing more than a mass of blue. However, closer inspection reveals a pair of thick pink lips at the bottom of its head. It has no eyes and thus lacks any sight.
The Ichthyosa felongus (Long Water Dumple), as the common name implies, resembles an elongated Water Dumple, though there are many notable differences beyond its highly-increased length (approximately 30cm on average, compared to a mere 3cm for regular Dumples, also making it one of longest creatures on the planet). It is deep purple and covered with small yellow dots, and instead of tentacles it has an impressive caudal fin. The front of its body is covered in thick short hairs. In contrast to its shorter counterpart, the Long Dumple has a pair of glowing pink eyes on stalks that do indeed have some (though very limited) sight functionality.
The Oculus voraxa (Eye-Stalker Bulbeel) bears a resemblance to lampreys or eels. Its absurdly long body (estimated to reach 80cm) is purple, with a long patch of white on the underbelly and small light blue spots going down the sides. It has orange fins on the sides, and prominent red lips that are almost always puckered. Like other members of the Oculus genus, it has two small eyes on stalks that can serve as a weak spot.
HABITAT
As the term 'aquatic' implies, these members of the family live exclusively in or around water. More specifically, they reside in freshwater and cannot survive in salt water.
Water Dumples are, without a doubt, the most numerous of the aquatic Grub-dogs. This species can be found just about anywhere there is water, and this is no exaggeration. Not only can they be found in tropical areas, but the freezing cold waters of the tundra are no less comfortable for them. They can also be found in all sorts of caves underground, where they thrive just as easily as they do on the surface. Out of all the aquatic creatures on PNF-404, Water Dumples are quite possibly the most common. Note that Water Dumples can survive on land, but much prefer staying in the waters.
The Long Water Dumple is much rarer, however, and they can only be found at the bottom of deep lakes. Their scarcity compared to their smaller cousins is due to the depth required; Short Dumples can live in water just deep enough to cover their mouths, while Long Dumples can only thrive in the depths of massive bodies of water.
Bulbeels are found in similar places to the Long Dumple, though typically in greater numbers. They remain hidden from sight, staying in dark alcoves at the bottom of these lakes. They rarely emerge fully, making it impossible to tell how long they are during a casual viewing.
DIET AND DEFENCES
Unlike Grub-dog members on land, which are typically omnivorous, their aquatic cousins are all strictly carnivores. They are capable of digesting plant matter, hence why they still consume Pikmin, but cannot survive without a steady source of meat. Their teeth are sharp and chew up prey quickly.
Water Dumples have thick hides, but otherwise have little defence against predators. They usually congregate in rivers with minimum competition, for even a group of Pikminicus azurious (see 'Pikmin') can easily take one down if they attack from behind. That being said, their jaws are quite powerful, and can overwhelm opponents by attacking in groups. They have no eyes and thus no sense of sight, relying on smell to find prey. Their prey usually consists of insects that land on the water's surface, though small aquatic creatures may also get consumed.
Long Water Dumples are much tougher to kill. Their massive size gives them a greater advantage, and the hairs on the front of their head are strong enough to deflect most attacks. In fact, smaller attackers will bounce right off them. It can swim much more efficiently, and its glowing eyes are capable of identifying moving objects.
Bulbeels hide in deep dark alcoves in the seafloor, with only their eyestalks visible. Once they see something moving above them, they will lunge out of their alcoves and attempt to eat it no matter what it is. Rarely does something escape their jaws. Due to its habit of swallowing anything that moves, it may end up swallowing things it cannot digest. Acorns are particularly common. Any object that it did not mean to swallow will be swiftly regurgitated.
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
Water Dumples typically stick together in groups, to give them a much higher chance of survival against predators. Unlike many other grouped species, where the sex of each individual is important to their ranking among the group or follows strict ratios, Dumples pay no mind to this at all. Groups of them appear to adhere to no rules regarding how many of each sex there should be, meaning all possible combinations (all-male or -female, only one of either, even ratios, and everything in-between) are as likely as the other and all perfectly functional.
Long Dumples, in contrast, typically live alone thanks to limited numbers. Only one will inhabit any given body of water, where it will be treated as a ruler by not just Water Dumples but by most of the aquatic creatures living in that area. Long Dumples are much like pharaohs forcing their servants to build them pyramids, though in this case it forces the other smaller creatures to give them a share of their food. If the smaller critter refuses to give up some of their good, they are promptly eaten in a single bite.
Bulbeels hardly ever deal with each other, preferring to stay on their own thanks to their gigantic size. If they do happen to encounter another of their kind, they simply pass on by. The bigger of the two gets to stay in the territory, while the smaller one leaves to find another spot. This action is done willfully, for they try to avoid any unnecessary conflict.
COURTING AND CHILDREARING
Unlike those in the Oculus genus, who give live birth to larvae, those in the Ichthyosa lay eggs. Short Dumples, once a year, gather in massive droves to certain lakes to spawn. Like many aquatic critters, females lay their eggs for the males to fertilise in a haphazard manner. After this mass spawning, Short Dumples will shortly perish much like salmon. Their flesh serves as suitable nutrients for the hatchlings until they grow big enough to hunt on their own.
Long Dumples, due to their limited numbers, are known to return to and spawn in only one particular lake, dubbed the 'Verdant Waterfront'. Mating is carried out in much the same way, though Long Dumples do not perish afterwards and merely return to their homes. Note, however, they won't live much longer once they return, and many die on the way back anyway.
Bulbeels procreate much like their land counterparts, despite the differing body structure. Most Bulbeels are female, so a wandering male will certainly encounter one sooner or later. Bulbeels give birth to larvae, in a manner quite similar to the Empress Bulblax, which will feed off plankton living inside algae before their bodies fully develop.
OTHER NOTES
Water Dumple eggs can be turned into fine caviar, which is considered an expensive delicacy throughout the galaxy. While the same can be achieved with Long Dumple eggs, this species has numbers far too long for it to be considered efficient (and, in fact, could be seen as a morally incorrect act).
NOTES FROM OTHER RESEARCHERS
Water Dumple -
Its eyes have been lost over time, so it relies on smell to find prey that it can swallow with its huge mouth. It's slow enough to make getting around it for a rear assault a simple job. Assuming you can tell its rear from its front... - Alph
I love dumplings, but the serving size here is too big even for me. Plus its skin looks too tough and rubbery for me to dig into. Pass. - Brittany
That stunt where its watery stripes blend into its environment, making it almost invisible, won't work on me! You don't get to be an old hand at missions without seeing through cheap tricks like—Hey! Where'd it go? - Captain Charlie
Long Water Dumple -
Those glowing eyes are almost like a warning beacon, telling you to stay away. And for good reason! Between its hairy shield on the front and its gigantic size, it has to be one of the best designed critters on this planet! - Alph
Okay, the little guys were already big enough, but this? What kind of a serving size is this?! Not to mention those unsightly hairs… Why does everything have to be so big and scary on this planet? Why are the cute little guys so rare? - Brittany
Holy mackerel! Lifeforms on this planet can be big but this… this is off the scales! But you know what they say. The bigger they are, the harder they fall! BLUE PIKMIN, ATTACK! - Captain Charlie
Eye-Stalker Bulbeel -
The choice to make a more aquatic variant of the iconic Bulborb was certainly an interesting one, though it took a lot of little changes to really pull it off. If only it wouldn't eat anything that moved. How many have died by choking on acorns? - Alph
Nope. Nope, nope, and nope. I'm not dealing with this one. Why do all the most TERRIFYING creatures have to be found in the depths of the waters?! We're out of our element enough already without having to worry about huge gluttonous beasts! - Brittany
I hear that the scariest creatures are the ones that lurk deep in the sea. I don't know how true that is, but it certainly applies to this creature. Thank goodness I've survived getting eaten before, or I'd be even more petrified upon seeing one of these! - Captain Charlie
Author Notes - And with that, we end our Grub-dog marathon and can relax with the much less crazy Heavil family.
