Sithlin

You might expect that with the advent of magic, research and scientific method would decline but that would be incorrect. Magic and the abilities it can lend people have allowed for research and discovery that may not have happened with technology. One of the new discoveries was of a species named the sithlin. The sithlin are an aquatic species that were discovered in the sunken city of Houston, Texas. The discovery was made by Dr. Benjamin Deslin, a merman and oceanic researcher. He and his team had established a research center in the sunken University of Houston.
NOTE: With the advent of intelligent aquatic species including mer-people, the laws are struggling to keep up. Old maritime laws allow for fishing rights but don't speak to owning aquatic property, etc. When Dr. Deslin acquired funding for his research, he approached the University of New Houston who had owned the lab he wanted to convert since it had been their property. They gave him permissions but the legal ownership of all such events is still working it's way through both National and World legal systems.
He discovered the sithlin because they were sneaking into his lab when he and his team weren't present and changing the results of his experiments by contaminating them with items they found. It took a complex plan by the team to trap a few of these crafty creatures. The first few attempts didn't work as the creatures would either trip the trap or would escape. It has been determined that they are a 2 on the basic intelligence scale.
Sithlin look like small aquatic avians. Like birds they have beaks; however, unlike birds they do have gills. They have the ability to work minor magics such as small flashes or light, or small darts of water. They are generally quite friendly and love to play and interact with merpeople.