Irukaiji

Irukaiji was sprited and concepted by TCA. It was released April 23rd, 2011. It can be found in the Water on Zeima.

Breed ID: Aquatic Mammal

Sprites and Descriptions
(Regular on top, polytype below.

Alpha: It's a little baby dolphin.

Beta: This little dolphin is a mellow gray color, and likes to swim in freshwater.

Delta: The dolphin's color has lightened, and more dorsal fins are growing in.

Omega: Irukaiji are very social animals. They live in rivers in small family groups, who they can recognize almost immediately even if separated for a long time. They hunt as a group, taking turns chasing a group of fish right into the rest of their family. They communicate with high-pitched sounds, and have very keen eyesight that lets them see even in murky river water.

Additional Information
Irukaiji are extremely social within family groups, but are wary of outsiders to their group. They resemble Earth dolphins closely, but this is convergent evolution rather than importing dolphins from Earth- notable resulting physiological differences include the array of sensitive dorsal fins and the skeletal structure not matching the typical mammalian model. They are exclusively carnivorous, feeding mainly on fish. They also sometimes use their long beaks to dig in the mud for burrowing critters. Irukaiji give live birth, and rarely will have twins. When they do have twins, it's not uncommon for the mother to choose one and reject the other. They do nurse their young, but also supplement this by regurgitating partially-digested fish for their babies. Baby Irukaiji can swim and keep up with their parents, but before they have truly learned to swim properly, can easily be left behind by an inattentive mother. Unlike in most mammals, the males in the pods do aid in caring for the young.