(Picture by João Boto)

 
 

    The 10 meter long acrobat lizard-whale (Megaucratisaurussaltator) is one of the largest of the lizard-whales.  These long-lived creatures have been known to grow to 19 meters in leghth---longer (though less massive) than Home-Earth's humback whale. These are truly magnificent animals, particularly when engaging in water games, jumping fast and repeatedly often with other members of the familiar group---a behavior that has earned the acrobat lizard-whale its name.

     Often of a deep blue with some spots in the ventral area, the general color may vary among individuals, and the skin darkens greatly after death. Beached specimens are often found stranded on equatorial shores around the world.

     Acrobats the big-game predators of Spec's seas, hunting the giant baleen-squid and dispatching their prey with powerful jaws lined with hundreds of conical teeth.  Despite their ferocious dentition, these predators are not as aggressive as their smaller cousins, the zahns and actually seem to enjoy human contact.

     These lizard-whales are not prolific and only will only reproduce once every three years. As with all saurocetaceans, acrobat lizard-whales are viviparous.  Young are independent as soon as they are born, although acrobats will often gather into hunting pods when going after especially large baleen-squid.

  Acrobat lizard-whales may be found in any of Spec's equatorial oceans, though their greatest population density is to be found in the Indian Ocean, where many individuals congregate to breed.  Rather more intelligent than most lizard-whales, acrobats never loose a chance to jump of the water and splash against the waves. Their courtship displays are likewise energetic.

(Text by João Boto and Daniel Bensen)