Sea Goats

Fjúnic: Ojadelþ /ɔːjaːtɛlθ/
Jolþic: Keneþvalð /k^hɛːnɛːθvaːlð/

Njóþic: P'emük /pʼɛːmyk^h/

Þamtic: Zaþílara /zaːθiːlaːra/

Þiðic: Nahjo /naːçɔː/

Þrínic: Krexæ /k^hrɛksaiː/

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Sea goats¹ are herbivorous aquatic mammals found in subantarctic lakes, rivers, brackish marshes and coastal lagoons of the Southlands in southern Borgalor. They fill a similar niche as the horse-like Hippocamps off the eastern and southern coast of Jælondis on the other side of the world, feeding on aquatic plants and being preyed on by sharks, sea serpents and other sea creatures. Amphitheres and Musk Bears also feed on sea goats on occasion.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Sea goats have goat-like heads and front legs on one hand and a lower body resembling that of a our world's manatees on the other, and are mostly hairless aside from bristles on their snouts, with some subspecies having additional longer bristles similar to beards on terrestrial goats.

Behaviour

Unlike hippocamps, which only crawl on land to rest or escape predators, sea goats goats often leave the water during summertime to bask in the sun, while during winters they spend most their time underwater and use their hooves to make holes in the ice to breath. Their metabolism slows down during that time, and as such they need less food.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Trolls living along the coast have long hunted sea goats for their meat, blubber and skin, usually by throwing heavy stones at them while resting on land, and later on the animals were hunted by goblin settlers in Kröþa as substitute for hippocamps until the latter were introduced to the Southlands. While hippocampus meat has mostly replaced sea goats, the latter have become a delicacy at southlandic goblin restaurants.
Sea goat hunting is uncommon outside Kröþa, in Númra only a certain number of the animals may be hunted each year, and in Fjún they are a protected species.

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¹Original icelandic: sægeitur, singular: sægeit.

Resting sea goat by Lappalingur

Conservation Status

Near-threatened

Average Length

1.6m

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Sea goats are generally grey, with a brown stripe running from their snout to tail and lighter circles around the eyes