Zaratan

Massive turtle-like creatures with shells that can span miles. They primarily float along the surface of the water, eating small fish, algae, and other creatures that come near their mouths. They live isolated lives, only coming into contact with another zaratan to mate or when raising a single young hatchling.

Lifecycle

Zaratan lay a single egg six months after mating. The mother lays the egg in relative shallows within Torm's endless ocean and will guard it for the ten months until it hatches. Once hatched, the young zaratan is considered a hatchling for the first five years of its life, during which time it remains close to its mother for protection. As a juvenile over the next ten years, it begins to venture further from its mother's protection as it learns to survive on its own.
After these initial fifteen years, the zaratan is tagged with a non-invasive tracker as it enters a sub-adult phase. During this phase, it lives on its own in typical zaratan isolation, but hasn't yet reached sexual maturity. It typically reaches sexual maturity at around 50 years, but it may take several more decades before the zaratan finds a mate to bond with.
Zaratan grow continuously throughout their lives, though the rate slows as they get older. They're generally not considered large enough to support a city until they're around 150 years of age. Cities are built gradually over time and with constant consideration of the host's wellbeing. Once the zaratan reaches senescence, typically after 700 years, the city is gradually dismantled. Often the people and building material can be transfered to a new zaratan in this time.

Reproduction

Once a zaratan has found a partner to bond with, they bond for life. They mate only once every fifty years, producing a single egg each time, and can summon their partner across leagues of open ocean. Though zaratan are born of a particular sex, being either capable of producing eggs or fertilizing them, there are a few recorded instances of zaratan changing sex to be opposite of their chosen partner, or even less common, a bonded pair swaps sex partway through their lives.

Cultural Significance

Tormian culture values zaratan highly. All children are raised to see the creatures as family members, and to consider the zaratans' wellbeing on par with their own. Numerous careers revolve around developing and maintaining a symbiotic relationship, and the planet's primary religion and philosophy centers on this concept.

There are major cultural traditions and events surrounding all stages of zaratan life, from hatching to death. All known zaratan are tracked and monitored with non-invasive equipment. If there are any signs of concern, such as if a tracker hasn't moved in some time, a small team may be dispatched to investigate and help the creature if possible.

Lifecycle

-10 months	Egg laid in the shallows
0-5 years	Hatchling remains near its mother for protection
6-15 years	Juvenile begins swimming farther and gaining independence
16-50 years	Sub-adult can survive on its own, but hasn't reached sexual maturity
51+ years	Adult sexual maturity reached, though it may be decades before it finds a partner
150+ years	Adult is large enough to be capable of supporting a city
700+ years	Upon reaching senescence, the city is vacated and dismanted

Information

Lifespan

800 years

Geographic Distribution

• Torm

Related Organizations

• Ahl-amaqism

Related Historical Events

• 3208
  Defending the Joining