fishing - snackaloo

@Staves-Rest

skrimp ancestor / relative (:

i need to stop making shrimp related creatures lol

species name: snackaloo
plural: snacks / snackaloos
baby: munch / munchies or batterlings
group: a skewer
wild | tamed | domesticated | safe(?) | dangerous

basic info

being an older, closer relative to skrimps, snacks tend to look a tad similar but are in reality surprisingly different from their more tamed counterparts. they live on the sea floor closer to hydrothermal vents and are much hardier, sporting a tougher crumb that softens, thankfully deliciously so, when one is cooked. they seem to love the warmth of the environment around the vents, and when trying to raise them in captivity, it's best to try to recreate that environment as closely as possible.

when they feel threatened their crumb will puff out to nearly twice its size along with the flaps of its little gills, and it will produce an odd high-pitched snapping or clicking sort of sound, akin to the hiss of oil in a pan, using its actual mouth. it does this by flicking it against the upper palate of its false mouth repeatedly. its tail will also arc up over its back as it puffs to make it seem bigger than it is.

despite this, its first instinct will be to flee, jetting themselves backwards in jumpy motions much like skrimps do, just with its tail instead. if provoked enough, its mouth will come out of its pouch and will aim to bite, definitely having a good chance of drawing blood.

diet

they tend to scuttle around over rocks, eating almost everything in their path - algae, plants, worms, snails, even other snacks, using their true long mouths that's curled up into a plus-shaped false pouch in order to practically vacuum up anything they come across.

in the wild, sometimes snacks will even form a symbiotic relationship with other fish, including croutons, and will become their personal cleaners, using their long mouths to gently feed from parasites and dead tissues.

lifespan

if they can make it to adulthood, snacks can live up to 6 years in the wild, and even longer if it is somehow able to be bred in captivity, which isn't always the easiest.

courtship + reproduction

after molting successfully twice, snacks will be ready to breed!
courtship isn't really complicated - they wiggle their bodies and puff up a bit, and the female snack will eat the fins of their partner's tail before parting ways. they will seek out several partners before the female lays her eggs, which are then stored on their backs, and their tails curl upwards around them in order to secure them to her back safely.

she carries them there until they hatch, and after a few weeks of being carried on the mother's back they will grow to be a bit too big and will instead trail along behind their parent until they're old enough to fend for themselves.

baby munchies are a lighter color, a little more raw-batter looking than the toasty golden-brown of their parents' crumb. the eggs are an opaque yet gradiented black, looking very similar to cooked tapioca pearls.

other information

just like their puffy counterparts, they're a delicacy that can be eaten raw or cooked. most often they'll be eaten raw after their crumb has been peeled and their eyes + legs + tongue (which is chewy, not great) removed.
fried is also the most common way to make these, and they go really well with sweet and sour sauces and green vegetables! their tails are extra crispy crunchy when cooked and often stay on, but it's not everyone's cup of tea.
snackaloo eggs aren't great for eating, and aren't great texture-wise, but can also be eaten alone or on top of rice.

they can be tamed and kept in captivity, but it's very crucial to replicate their biome as accurately as possible. they're also semi aggressive, so not always the best to house with other sorts of fish (or even a large amount of other snacks) unless it's the types they're known to form symbiosis with.

[tracker]