Guardian

Basic Information

Anatomy

Guardians are a coelacanth fish species that inhabits deep oceans. Most often, they congregate in prismarine monuments. The main body is globular, with small dorsal, lateral, and anal fins. The caudal fin is the longest and is quite strong. The most striking features are the blowfish-like spines, which it can extend and contract at will, and its large, singular eye. The eye has a tapetum lucidum for low-light vision. Above the eye, in a cranial sinus, is a rostral gland. In Guardians, the rostral gland not only assists them in detecting prey and enemies, but also transmits beams of radiant energy. This allows them to fire "lasers" at their targets as an attack. Guardian scales are turquoise-coloured and firm, much like the prismarine stone in the monuments they shelter in. For this reason, their scales can be used to make new prismarine stone. They have a mouth, but rarely open it except when eating. They make their signature rumbling sound by vibrating their vocal cords, as if humming.
There is little sexual dimorphism in guardians. Their reproductive organs are hidden inside sheaths in their scales, which slide open during mating or expelling waste. It is very difficult to tell a male guardian from a female unless it is doing one of those two things.

Genetics and Reproduction

Guardians reproduce in a manner similar to sharks. After attracting each other, the male and female guardian will embrace and sink to the ocean floor to mate. The eggs develop and hatch inside the mother’s body. When the baby guardians are sufficiently grown, their mother will birth them and the eggshells all at once. She may have up to 5 baby guardians at a time.

Ecology and Habitats

Guardians thrive in deep saline water. Although they can survive in fresh water, they prefer ocean salt water. They do not seem to have a temperature preference, doing fine in both cold and warm environments. Aquatic pollution poses a danger for them; as adaptable to temperature and salinity changes as they are, foreign chemicals can cause scale softening, birth defects, and other ailments in guardians.

Dietary Needs and Habits

The main sources of food for guardians are squid, other fish, kelp, and seagrass. They are opportunistic hunters, but will not eat their own kind. Any other creature that swims deep enough to find them, is fair game.

Biological Cycle

The spikes on baby Guardians form in utero, but do not extend at all until birth. From there, the spikes do not harden enough to cause damage until the pup is about 6 months old. They reach maturity at about 10 to 15 years old.
Guardians continue to grow indefinitely, which is why elder Guardians are larger than common ones. With age, the colour in their scales and spikes fades. The age at which a Guardian can be considered an "elder" is conjectural, but most agree that it begins when the creature reaches 50 to 60 years old. This is a very long-lived species.

Additional Information

Social Structure

They seem to follow a chosen elder guardian (particularly old specimens of common guardians) as though it is the leader of their pack. Apart from that, they are generally solitary. They can, however, coordinate to attack a large target as a group.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

With ocean monuments as their favorite haunts, they pose a considerable obstacle to anyone who wants to loot the monument’s valuables. For that reason, they are killed en masse by treasure hunters. Guardians are also hunted for the prismarine shards and crystals formed from their bodies, used to make prismarine stone and sea lanterns. Despite looking like a blowfish, they are not toxic in the least, and can be eaten as a meat fish. Some say they taste like cod.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Found in deep oceans of all types. Guardians seem to be more prevalent in cold oceans.

Average Intelligence

Guardians are clever creatures that can recognise threats to the monuments they inhabit, hence their name "guardian." Specimens in captivity are known to play with items dropped in their tanks, such as sorting them by colour and stacking them into simple walls and pyramids.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Guardians have all standard senses, but their hearing and smell is poor. They rely on sight as their primary sensory input. They have excellent sight and can track a target even when it is well hidden. It is believed that a guardian's rostral gland has electroreceptive properties, thus allowing it to "map out" its environment.

Scientific Name

Latimeria defensor

Origin/Ancestry

From deep oceans.

Lifespan

80-100 years

Conservation Status

Near Threatened

Average Height

1 m (common), 2-3 m (elder)

Average Weight

25 kg (common), 100-110 kg (elder)

Average Length

3-5 m (common), 4-7 m (elder)

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Common Guardians almost always have turquoise-blue scales with orange spikes. With age, the colour in their scales fades to an off-white and the spikes turn blue.