#Mermaid Embryos

[lord-dusk]

An ancient species of mermaid, bichirs have survived many catastrophes and impacts that killed off other species. Though terrestrial vertebrates ultimately evolved from a different line of fish, bichirs are seen as a "missing link", having both gills and lungs, arms and finlets. Bichirs produce frog-like eggs that hatch into free-living embryos that resemble those of actual amphibians, with black bodies and fluffy external gills. Despite their strong claws and sharp teeth, bichirs are really friendly and inquisitive.

[grendel-sceadugenga]

So cool that leopard sharks can reproduce through parthenogenesis.

[vcreatures]

The life cycle of Merfolk, despite their vast dimorphism, is quite similar. Most Mermaid species are egg layers, with a very small minority being livebearers. The Merfolk life cycle begins as an egg, embryo, larvae, fry, juvenile and ultimately adult. While a Mermaid is a formidable predator it too is quite vulnerable in it’s young life.

While Merfolk are largely kept at a healthy distance and were once feared by seafarers they have become synonymous with livestock or game in certain parts of the world. Mermaid Roe has long been known for it’s medicinal, cosmetic and culinary properties and purposes. Also known as “Edible Pearls”, the harvesting of mermaid eggs is a common practice. There is some debate as to whether or not Merfolk are deemed sentient, however their roe offers far too much of a commodity for the issue to be pressed.

[bethanythebogwitch]

Wet Beast Wednesday: platypus

Since I've been designing original Pokemon for a hypothetical Australia-based region I've been doing some research on Australian fauna and one of them (which I made into a starter) is the famous platypus. Join me and we will learn why these animals are so weird I don't blame the European naturalists who thought they were hoaxes until presented with a live specimen. I mean you can blame European scientists of the time for a lot of things, but doubting the platypus isn't one of them.

(image: a platypus at the surface of the water, seen from above. It is a brown, furry mammal. Its legs are very short, with long webbed tows. Its tail is broad, flat, and furry. It has a large duck-like bill at the front)

The first preserved Platypus specimens brought to Europe were thought to be hoaxes made by taxidermists attaching parts of different animals together, like the Fiji mermaid or jackalopes. Its pretty clear why they thought this as platypi (there's not definitive plural of platypus and platypi is the one I refer) look like real-life chimeras. A mole-like body (indeed, they were originally thought by naturalists to be species of mole) with a duck's bill, otter's feet, and beaver's tail. In fact, platypi are none of the above but are instead one of five surviving species of monotremes, the smallest and most basal lineage of extant mammals alongside the marsupials and placentals. Monotremes possess many traits distinct from other mammals and taxonomists currently believe that the monotreme lineage split off from the lineage of live-birth giving mammals prior to marsupials and placentals diverging from each other. Differences that monotremes have from all other mammals include a lower body temperature, lack of external ears, different jaw and inner ear structures, a cloaca (combination of the excretory and reproductive tracts into a single hole), more reptile-like embryo development, and the fact that they lay eggs instead of giving live birth. Many of these traits (especially the cloaca and laying eggs) are believed to be holdovers from pre-mammalian ancestors and thus monotremes are highly valued by scientists studying mammal evolution.

(image: a platyus standing on a person's hand. It is around the same size as the hand. It is seen from the front, with its head turned to the right. Its mouth is slightly open)

Platypi are semi-aquatic animals found in rivers and streams along eastern Australia and Tasmania. They are the only living members of their genus and family, though fossil relatives have been found. Their size varies based on habitat and ranges from 0.7 to 2.4 kg (1.6 to 5.3 lbs). Males average 50 cm (20 in) and females average 43 cm (17 in). Platypi are covered in fur that traps a layer of air to insulate them while swimming. The fur is bioflourescent, producing a blue-green glow when exposed to ultraviolet light. The tail is used to store fat and will glow larger in a well-fed individual. All four feet are webbed, the front feet more so. The style of swimming used by platypi is unlike that of any other amphibious or aquatic mammal. Other mammals use their hind feet and/or tails for propulsion. Platypi instead use their front feed for propulsion. The hind feet and tail are only used for steering. When on land, platypi curl up their front toes and walk on their knuckles to protect the webbing between their toes. The eyes are small and weak and are not used when hunting.

(image: a platypus seen from above and below, fluorescing under black light. Its top looks dark blue with splotches of purple while the underside is a lighter green-blue with purple towards the middle)

The bill is the most important organ for finding prey. All living monotremes are capable of electroreception, the detection of electric fields. These fields are produced when prey contracts its muscles and the platypus is sensitive enough to detect very small prey. The electroreceptor organs are located on the bill and run in lines from front to back. The distribution of the organs in distinct lines allows the platypus to determine the direction of the source of an electric field by sensing which line feels the field most strongly. The bill is also covered uniformly in mechanoreceptors used for touch. Platypi hunt by digging their bills through the sediment at the bottom of the water and detecting prey. This method of hunting and use of electroreception allows platypi to hunt in very murky water. Prey consists primarily of worms, insect larvae, and crustaceans. Platypi are born with teeth in their bills, but they fall out quickly and are not replaced. Some fossil species apparently retained their teeth into adulthood. The insides of the bill are lined with ceratodontes, plates covered in rough, keratinized surfaces that are used to grind up food.

(image: a platypus foraging for food at the bottom of a river. The front of its bill is poking into the sandy river bottom. There is a submerged log in the background and multiple small fish in the foreground)

(image: a scientific diagram showing three drawings of a platypus from three angles and the area it can detect electric fields. source)

As if all that wasn't strange enough, platypi are also one of the few species of venomous mammals. The male platypus has spurs on the hind feet that inject venom. This venom is powerful enough to kill dogs, but is not fatal to humans. Instead, it causes swelling and increases sensitivity to pain. This can last for weeks to months and can be agonizing. Female platypi are born with the spurs, but they never develop venom and fall off by their first birthday. Males use their spurs to fight over territory and mates.

(image: a person showing off a male platypus's spur. The platypus is mostly out of frame, but a hind leg and some fur is visible, wrapped in a sheet. A human hand is gripping the hind leg near the toes and holding it in place. The spur is curved and conical and larger than any of the actual claws. It is located near the heel)

Platypi live in simple burrows dug along the water's edge around 30 cm above the surface of the water. They are often hidden behind roots or plants. Platypi spend most of their time in the burrow sleeping for up to 14 hours a day. When not sleeping, they spend most of theer time in the water hunting. Dives last up to 30 seconds with a 10-20 second surface interval. Platypi will travel up to 7 km (4.3 miles) from their burrows to hunt. They maintain territories and will attempt to chase competitors of the same sex out. Males have larger territories than females and their territories usually overlap with those of 3 or 4 females. Platypi are nocturnal and crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) but have been known to come out on cloudy days. They are typically active for 12 hours per day and spend most of that time hunting. A platypus eats up to 20% of its body weight daily. Platypi are preyed upon by snakes, goannas (monitor lizards), various birds of prey, and possibly crocodiles and invasive foxes.

(image: a drawing of a cross-section of a platypus burrow. The burrow is located in a river bank with the opening right by the water. A long tunnel leads to a round chamber. In the chamber is a platypus with two eggs. Art by David Nockels)

Platypus mating season lasts between June and October every year. During this time, males will compete with each other for mates using their venomous spurs. Some males will maintain territories and force other males out while other males are more transitory and will go looking for mates. Females only mate with a single male every season. Strangely, females have two ovaries but only the left one is functional. After mating, the female will retreat to her burrow. While most egg-laying animals will lay they eggs as soon s they are formed, platypi retain their eggs internally for 28 days before laying them, after which they will continue to develop for 10 days before hatching. Most layings result in 2 eggs. The female curls around her eggs to incubate and protect them. Newborn platypi are called puggles and they are blind, hairless, and defenseless. As with other mammals, they feed on their mother's milk. Platypi do not have nipples and instead, the milk is secreted through the skin and into grooves on the mother's belly, where the puggles lap it up. While the puggles are developing, the mother spends less time out foraging, though she will increase the time foraging as her offspring develop. Weaning happes at 3-4 months, after which the juveniles will leave the burrow and set out on their own. Mothers have been observed laving behind soil plugs at the entrance to their burrows while there are offspring are in them. They are used to squeeze off water as the female returns to her burrow, preventing cold water from reaching the offspring.

(image: a reconstruction of a mother platypus and puggles. They are in a dirt burrow lined with bits of leaves and bark. The mother is on its back and looking toward the camera. There are three puggles, which share the same body plan, but are very small and entirely pink. Tey are sitting on the mother's abdomen)

Platybi are classified as near threatened by the IUCN, though some argeu they should be reclassified as endangered. Their habitat range has decreased since European colonization of Australia and they are threatened by habitat loss, dams, pollution, and bycatch. Aboriginal Australians historically hunted them for food and Europeans also hunted them for fur, which was outlawed in 1912. The platypus was and is culturally relevant to Aboriginal peoples sharing its range, particularly the native peoples of the Murray river. There are multiple Dreamtime stories of the platypus, many dedicated to explaining how it ended up the way it is. In one, originating from the upper Darling river, a female duck named Daroo or was either seduced or kidnapped by a male water rat named Biggoon or Bilargun. After escaping, she laid two eggs that hatched into the first platypi, inheriting their mother's bill and webbed feet and father's body and fur. Another story from the same region says that the land animals, water animals, and birds all wanted the platypus to join their group and tried to convince it to join. The platypus decided that it didn't need to join any of the groups to be special, but still wanted to be friends with all of them and so took on traits from all groups.

(image: the Ironbarks Platypus, an Aboriginal Australian rock carving of a figure typically interpreted as a platypus. It is very simple, with a roughly rectangular shape with one rounded end. From one end is a simple loop usually interpreted as the platypus's bill. Four stick-like linbs emerge from the sides)

[todropscience]

Hello, I have read that the Mantas put 20 eggs but inside this 20 eggs (mermaid pocket) they have 400 more eggs, i don't understand that. Also, i have read that this eggs normally are attach to algas to feed when they are born, but then again i have seen videos of the mantas being born of the inside of the mom. it is because they are different species? please i would love to know that. thank you so much.

When you say mantas, you are talking about manta ray aka devils ray, which are pelagic and travelers batoids, very famous, and seen in snorkel and diving spot in tropical parts of the world. These species do not lay eggs, but rather become pregnant and give birth.

Distant relatives to manta rays are skate (ajidae) and in some cases they lay eggs.

There are big species, who lay big egg cases. such is the big skate (Beringraja binoculata), and particulary, this one is know to lay around (in some cases) 5 to 10 eggs or embryos, inside one single egg case or mermaid pocket.These eggs are fertiliced insided the female, after the copula. Then, the eggs are closed insided the egg case and laying on the seafloor.

howard, 2017

but in other cases, small skate species, usually coastal, lay a lot of egg cases with a single egg inside, each egg case have tendrils who entangles, and these female lay a lot of egg (or it is likely a group of female laying egg in groups) here is one example of numerous egg cases lay together.

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

Daily fish fact #289

Cartilaginous fish!

The casing that surrounds the eggs of the oviparous species is often called a mermaid's purse, but is more formally known as just an egg capsule or egg casing! They typically only contain one embryo, but there are exceptions; the egg cases of big skates and mottled skates can have up to seven!

[aurelim]

additional merfolk lore

hey everyone! It’s been a while, but I hope that nobody forgot me while I was gone lol. I’ve been in the background writing ATOL (something finally awoke within me that gave me the motivation to write) and Swapped.

Anyways, I just wanted to address a few things about the merfolk that weren’t mentioned in the game. Some of these were answered by asks a long time ago so I’m sorry if I sound repetitive. I don’t know if I will add this but this is just some extra information about them!

First and foremost: the relationship between humans and the merfolk go back centuries. Humans, for the most part, are unaware of the merfolk—contrary to the popular belief among the merfolk. Many don’t even live near the shore or are out fishing to notice their presence in the waters. The merfolk, on the hand, are all-too-well-aware of the dangers of humans, and have thus tried to avoid them while simultaneously killing them off (for the obvious reason of collecting energy). There are a lot of complicated feelings but the general consensus among the merfolk is that humans harm their environment, and therefore are evil.

Second: the merfolk do not know how to read or write. There are no books, pen or paper that could last long in the water, and even if there were the merfolk have no idea how to use them. They are taught by their parents on how to swim, speak, and sing, which is all they can go off of since learning is limited. There are no schools that teach the younger merfolk as most live independently and away from others.

Third: the merfolk do not need to use the “bathroom”. Not only is there no such thing in the ocean, but they just have the need to go. Everything they absorb and even consume (take seaweed, for example) is converted into energy within them and replenishes their body.

Fourth: the merfolk speak their own language, Mermian, but when speaking to humans of any nation it will come back to the humans in their own language. If a human speaks English and a Merfolk speaks to them, it comes out as English. However, how the language barrier works is that a Merfolk must have their focus, attention, or even their eyes on the human and must be directly talking to them. If they aren’t focused on the human before them or looking away distantly when speaking, their words will come out in the merfolk language.

Fifth: there’s no such thing as an underwater seawitch like The Little Mermaid. In fact, there is a very specific way if a Merfolk were to hypothetically become a human…and it’s not by just going to the shore and willing themselves to become a human.

Finally: the merfolk cannot have “sex” in the human sense, neither for pleasure nor for reproduction. It’s not like there’s retractable reproductive organs coming out of their scales. They already get stimulation and pleasure when receiving energy.

In order to reproduce, the two parents have to generate a large portion of energy out of their bodies in order to form a medium-sized egg. Not roe-sized, but slightly bigger than a American Condor egg and rounded. The mothers will guard the egg for nine months, providing it with sufficient energy to help it develop, before eventually it breaks out of the egg into a little merbaby. It’s near to impossible that twins or even more than two babies can be born at the same time, but occasionally within the egg the embryo could split, resulting in identical twins or triplets. While it sounds easy to have children, it really takes a lot out of the parents. Sometimes they die due to exhaustion of the energy supply to the point where it’s hard to regain it all back quickly enough. Not to mention that the eggs are susceptible to creatures like sharks and are incredibly fragile. They can die if not provided enough energy, knocked over and broken, complications in the egg, etc.

[nintendoteuthis]

Ok idk if you’ve covered this yet but how in the hell do inkling/octoling eggs work? Have they transitioned to livebearing like some fish, or do they lay terrestrial eggs? They definitely have evolved to prioritize care over amount of offspring like large mammals do, but I’m weirdly curious how you think cephalopod egg laying transitioned to an intelligent society

So modern cephalopods lay a ton of eggs at a time, and will encase them in an egg mass of some sort. The shape of the egg mass is highly variable across different cephalopods. Flying squids (which Inklings are probably descended from) will make a big gelatinous orb and lay their eggs inside that.

And this orb will float in the ocean and terrify divers.

I think that, on land, the egg mass has turned into an egg sac, kinda like that of sharks ("mermaid's purses"). The egg sac proves a nice, insulated environment that protects the eggs from the elements and ensures that moisture isn't lost. The mother probably also injects ink into the egg sac. This practice probably evolved at first to help camouflage the egg sac (this is a thing that some cuttlefish species do today), but as ink evolved its current function in the cephaling lineage, it also functions to boost the embryos' immune systems. Some mothers think that this can influence the babies' ink color, but results are inconclusive.

As with large mammals, Inklings and Octolings prioritize parental care of few offspring. This is the complete opposite of how pretty much all modern cephalopods function. So each egg sac will probably just have one egg each most of the time (though twins are not uncommon!). This probably evolved in tandem with increased intelligence, longer lifespans, and sedentary civilization - all of which are basically transitioning from an individualistic live-fast-die-young way of life to a more community-based, ensure-you-live-long way of life.

I don't think that Inklings and Octolings evolved live birth, and there's one crucial reason why: transformation. If your entire body is reorganizing itself on a regular basis, that would make it very risky if an embryo is developing inside of you. Live birth also takes a lot of energy and puts strain on the mother, and given the high-metabolism lifestyles of the average Inkling or Octoling, that's a strain that the mother wouldn't need. It's safer for your eggs if you just leave them at home for the day. The egg sac would still need some degree of incubation and protection, though (especially given they're warm-blooded). Early cephalings may have done so either by covering them in nests of rotting vegetation (as alligators do) or simply by holding the egg sac close to the heat of the body. And the parents probably traded off egg care duties like many birds do.

In the modern day, there are two birthing events for Inklings/Octolings: the laying of the eggs and the hatching of the babies. So pregnancy only applies to the period before the eggs are laid. Producing the egg sac and laying the eggs inside is much less stressful than giving birth is for mammals, and probably easily happens at home. It takes several more months for the embryo to fully develop within the egg sac, over which time the parents are already babying it, thinking of names, etc. The parents still trade off carrying the egg sac around and keeping it warm - it's not rare to see expecting parents carrying the egg sac with them in a baby sling - or they just rent a home incubator from the local hospital. Friends of the family can come and say hi to the developing eggs in the "nest" (either a crib or an incubator). And the baby (or if you want to be technical, the paralarva) hatches looking like this:

Awwww.

[willhavetheirtrinkets]

List five things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who liked or reblogged something from you! Get to know your mutuals and followers :3

Ooooh, an excellent question/game! Thank you!

It is National Cat Lady Day, and as I have been a cat lady since I was a wee little embryo, I am delighted by this information.

I have a packet of FANTASY ANIMAL frosted animal crackers for my little treat tonight, and I can't wait to bite the heads off mermaids and dragons.

I've just uploaded 4 dozen fics to my tablet for reading later.

I rearranged some books and I found a little extra space on my shelves for MORE BOOKS XD

These petunias. LOOK AT THEM. They are so pretty.

[yandere-writer-momo]

There are animal species that can 'freeze' or slow down their pregnancies during unfavourable conditions, until a more suitable period when there is no danger. (Gelads generally get rid of embryos during pregnancy).

What if mermaids can do the same? They mate, and if there's adverse conditions somewhere in their habitat, they freeze the pregnancy until the danger has passed.

And Katsumi probably realises too late how badly he screwed up and undermined his credibility when he thought he would tie the mermaid reader to himself if he caught her in a baby trap.

Katsumi himself became an unfavourable condition for the reader at some point; he was not even a suitable male for breeding and possible offspring himself.

Congratulations. You are now dubbed animal fact anon.

I like to believe mermaids can terminate a pregnancy they don’t see fit.

[oatslemonade]

MerMay is right around the corner. I decided to participate in my own way. I'll try to use the prompts but I'll probably be way off. I want to draw and write oneshots, about Undertale Mermaids/ LeviathanTale.

I also want to share ocean/animal facts that I think are good world building for Mermaids/LeviathanTale.

-------------------- SHARKS-----------

1) About 60% of the shark species give birth to live young. This is called viviparity. Mako sharks, bull sharks, lemon sharks, and blue sharks are a few examples of sharks that are born live.

Baby sharks are called pups.

2) Shark eggs are sometimes referred to as mermaid's purses, and occasionally as Devil's purses. The egg usually houses one embryo, but in some species there are multiple embryos per egg case.

Shark species, oviparous (egg-laying) include:

Bamboo sharks.

Wobbegong sharks.

Carpet sharks.

Horn (bullhead) sharks.

Swell sharks.

Many catsharks.

3) When you flip a shark upside down they go into a trance-like state called tonic immobility.

4) A group of sharks can be called a few different terms. School, shiver, or frenzy. In some cases, the term “herd” may also be used. A shiver is typically made up of sharks that are the same species, while a school can include different kinds of sharks.

More research and observation needs to be done, but it appears that there is no hierarchy in the Shiver. Both male and female sharks will make up a Shiver. The younger sharks will tend to be in the center, this appears to provide protection for the young.

"A group of baby sharks is referred to as a “wriggle” or a “nursery”. "

5) Fun facts about The Origin of the Shark names

* Sharks used to be called "Sea Dogs." This was for a couple of reasons. Such as their resemblance to dogs, and hunting.

"The earliest example of a shark-like animal being named in such a manner came when English writer Richard Hakluyt referred to a sea dog as a “sharke” in 1599."

Some of the facts I found on this site.

https://www.sharksider.com/what-is-a-group-of-sharks-called/#:~:text=A%20group%20of%20sharks%20is,include%20different%20kinds%20of%20sharks.

[lord-dusk]

Okay Homo sapiens, how can y'all categorize all non-raptorial/psittacoidean avians as barnacles? Is it because of the hard shell, simple personality, and hair-like feeding tentacles? Actual avians don't even breathe through gills. I mean, YEAH, all vertebrate embryos(including avians) have gills, but here's one eensie-weensie little fact-avian embryos grow lungs at the cost of their gill-pouches. Barnacle-mermaids, like their crustaceanoid-kin like crabs and shrimps, start off as nauplii-tiny, beating blobs with a singular eye and two arm-like appendages for swimming. Also, barnacle-mermaids CANNOT breathe air-they just can't. They might do okay on land when inside their shells, but most will perish if not returned to seawater. Their feeding-tentacles also function as respiratory organs.

[archivalstories]

Mermaid purses, also known as egg cases, are magical structures protecting the embryos of skates, sharks, and rays.

[miyamiwu]

I vaguely remember that Rand and Munster’s first time was because Munster was drugged, but I couldn't remember why. And now I'm rereading that chapter.... right, Prince wanted a mermaid embryo, so he forced the two of them to mate

And I was so mad at this because afterward, the author completely forgot about it!!! The mermaid embryo was never brought up again. The rape scene was clearly just a lazy plot device uuughh

[rennybu]

yeah I’m just gonna...block the body horror tag now....

SORRY !!!!!!!!!!!! SORRYKLSDKFJSDLKFJSDG

also i guess ? fair warning to everyone following me, I am writing a horror story w my friend and am hoping to experiment more with horror art and creature design in the future, so if those aren’t things u want to see do make sure ur filtering tags like body horror, horror art, etc !!!!

[nowscience-blog]

Shark egg - Yes, sharks do lay eggs. Some of them, anyway. About 70 percent of sharks are viviparous, meaning they give birth to live young; the remaining 30 percent of shark species — plus near-relatives like skates, rays and chimaeras (an order that includes the spooky "ghost shark") — are oviparous, meaning they lay eggs externally.

Each shark egg contains an embryo (baby shark) and a yolk sac (baby's first meal), much like a chicken's egg. Look closely at the video, and you can even see the umbilical cord anchoring the fluttering shark to its yolky lunch box.