Tazlequin (TAZ-leh-kwin)
The tazlequin is an ocean-dwelling mammal native to The Whelming Gulf north of Adarinn. Related to otters, and, distantly, to ferrets and weasels, they are omnivorous and intensely social, living in pods of up to 100 same-sex individuals. Unlike their sea-otter cousins, these creatures are obligate community-members who raise young communally, hunt in groups and, if separated from all others of their kind, inevitably pine and die. This is likely due to the telepathic bonds among members of a pod, which can connect individuals over miles and miles of open ocean.
In recent years, conservation efforts made to prevent the extinction of the species due to merrow predation have spread tazlequins to many other shallow seas across the globe, meaning that folks all over the world can now experience the delight of tazlequin encounters in the wild. Their social nature and mild empathic abilities allow tazlequins to sense the intentions of strange creatures approaching them, which means they are quite safe to interact with so long as one has no desire to harm them. This results in the friendly, playful animals having positive relationships with many seaside fishing communities, oceangoing vessels, and triton or merfolk townspeople. Young tritons often cling to the backs of racing tazlequin in order to keep up with their merfolk friends, and many form lifelong friendships with individuals or even whole pods.
Scientific Name
Mustelidae Lutrogale philos
Conservation Status
Once hunted to near extinction by the merrow of Abysnea, the tazlequin is making a remarkable comeback in the waters of the Husura Oceans , the Dungueil Ocean, and shallow, temperate zones of The Great Sea. Their numbers have rebounded so successfully that they are, as of 2987 IA, no longer on the Oceanographic Endangered Creatures list.
Geographic Distribution
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