Skekfish, also colloquially called "knife-fish," were small, burrowing predators that hunted in schools.
Skekfish were hybrid of carbon- and silicon-based life. Each individual ranged in length from 30 to 40 centimeters. The skekfish was covered with lines of hundreds of tiny, razor-sharp, metallic fin-scales which it used to provide locomotive force while burrowing. It had four body-length rudder-fins to alter its direction, which gave the predator the appearance of swimming through the ground. Skekfish were able to burrow through wood and solid rock. Skekfish lacked eyes and hunted solely by sound and vibration.
The skekfish's dual-element physiology necessitated the consumption of both dirt and meat for survival, and an adult skekfish would starve after 48 hours without animal flesh. Skekfish attacked by springing from the ground in formation, launching themselves directly at prey. They fed as they burrowed through the target creature.
Skekfish hatched from eggs, were able to reach adulthood within 24 hours, and were capable of rapid reproduction. Skekfish populations could quickly devastate the ecology of an entire planet. When the predators exhausted a biomass, the adults would lay a clutch of eggs in the bodies of their last remaining victims, then instinctively covered these nests with fresh soil. Skekfish eggs could remain viable for thousands of years, and hatched once the eggs were disturbed by new animal populations.
Skekfish were hybrid of carbon- and silicon-based life. Each individual ranged in length from 30 to 40 centimeters. The skekfish was covered with lines of hundreds of tiny, razor-sharp, metallic fin-scales which it used to provide locomotive force while burrowing. It had four body-length rudder-fins to alter its direction, which gave the predator the appearance of swimming through the ground. Skekfish were able to burrow through wood and solid rock. Skekfish lacked eyes and hunted solely by sound and vibration.
The skekfish's dual-element physiology necessitated the consumption of both dirt and meat for survival, and an adult skekfish would starve after 48 hours without animal flesh. Skekfish attacked by springing from the ground in formation, launching themselves directly at prey. They fed as they burrowed through the target creature.
Skekfish hatched from eggs, were able to reach adulthood within 24 hours, and were capable of rapid reproduction. Skekfish populations could quickly devastate the ecology of an entire planet. When the predators exhausted a biomass, the adults would lay a clutch of eggs in the bodies of their last remaining victims, then instinctively covered these nests with fresh soil. Skekfish eggs could remain viable for thousands of years, and hatched once the eggs were disturbed by new animal populations.