Doc_Cantankerous
Member
Basic Description:
The size of a Blue Whale, except pale pink to pure white, with a bony plate along the top of their head that they use to balance themselves. Zephyr Whales are capable of flight, actually being Avian Mammals and avoid water except to drink. They have a special bacteria in their gut that produces lighter-than-air gases that enable flight. They have special vents through their blowhole that allow them to control the altitude at which they fly. Their primary diet is smaller birds and bats, and they have no known predators.
Rarity: Legendary
Legends speak of this fabled creature riding through the banks of storm clouds, their preferred habitat. Sailors lost at sea often have described hearing whale song as a storm approaches. During a storm, the outline of the whales illuminated against the clouds can often be seen when lightning arcs across the sky. For this reason, when they are spotted, sailors often turn and sail the other way, wanting to avoid which ever storm the whales are searching for.
Anatomy:
A Zephyr Whale’s appearance varies greatly from other whale species. They tend to range from 50 to 60 meters in length, and have earned the title “Giant Whale” for good reason. Their colors either range from a pale pink to a complete white. Their hollow, yet sturdy bone structure, mixed with their air sac components, give them an oblong shape that comes to a point at their tail fin. Finally, unlike most whales who use bristles to keep their prey trapped in their mouth; the Zephyr Whale instead have a large under bite which prevent fish from swimming out of the vacuum that is their mouth.
Their prey is then sent into their second, smaller air sac, most commonly filled with water collected from their stormy homes, when feeding, only to deflate and suffocate the prey inside. This sack is then refilled with acidic gasses which are filtered out from the main air sac, taking what was once mixed with the lighter than air substance inside to digest their food slowly. The period of digestion is unknown, though it is assumed to take weeks due to the weakness of the acidic substance. The main air sac is filled with air from within the water, in taking the air only to exhale it in the form of lighter than air gasses mixed with an acidic toxin. When they are not feeding, these acids are stored in the form of excrement to prevent the whale from poisoning itself.
Diversity: Female Zephyr whales tend to reach the max limit of size comparatively to the smaller males of the species. While their colors do not diverse across genders, their anatomy does. Female whales have a third air sac, smaller than the second. Though it is impossible to notice during the early years of development, these sacks gradually become bigger until the female is ready to mate. These sacks are what hold and develop the baby. Male zephyr whales instead have two long whip like fins that come off the ends of the tail. The longer the wisps are, the more likely a female is to be attracted. It is not proven, though assumed that these wisps aid in tracking storms through pressures.
Lifespan: Unknown, but considered to be over a century due to legends of zephyr whales boasting the same scars being seen over the period of several decades.
No one has ever recovered the body of a Zephyr Whale, so their status as being 'real' is based entirely on legends and tales.
The size of a Blue Whale, except pale pink to pure white, with a bony plate along the top of their head that they use to balance themselves. Zephyr Whales are capable of flight, actually being Avian Mammals and avoid water except to drink. They have a special bacteria in their gut that produces lighter-than-air gases that enable flight. They have special vents through their blowhole that allow them to control the altitude at which they fly. Their primary diet is smaller birds and bats, and they have no known predators.
Rarity: Legendary
Legends speak of this fabled creature riding through the banks of storm clouds, their preferred habitat. Sailors lost at sea often have described hearing whale song as a storm approaches. During a storm, the outline of the whales illuminated against the clouds can often be seen when lightning arcs across the sky. For this reason, when they are spotted, sailors often turn and sail the other way, wanting to avoid which ever storm the whales are searching for.
Anatomy:
A Zephyr Whale’s appearance varies greatly from other whale species. They tend to range from 50 to 60 meters in length, and have earned the title “Giant Whale” for good reason. Their colors either range from a pale pink to a complete white. Their hollow, yet sturdy bone structure, mixed with their air sac components, give them an oblong shape that comes to a point at their tail fin. Finally, unlike most whales who use bristles to keep their prey trapped in their mouth; the Zephyr Whale instead have a large under bite which prevent fish from swimming out of the vacuum that is their mouth.
Their prey is then sent into their second, smaller air sac, most commonly filled with water collected from their stormy homes, when feeding, only to deflate and suffocate the prey inside. This sack is then refilled with acidic gasses which are filtered out from the main air sac, taking what was once mixed with the lighter than air substance inside to digest their food slowly. The period of digestion is unknown, though it is assumed to take weeks due to the weakness of the acidic substance. The main air sac is filled with air from within the water, in taking the air only to exhale it in the form of lighter than air gasses mixed with an acidic toxin. When they are not feeding, these acids are stored in the form of excrement to prevent the whale from poisoning itself.
Diversity: Female Zephyr whales tend to reach the max limit of size comparatively to the smaller males of the species. While their colors do not diverse across genders, their anatomy does. Female whales have a third air sac, smaller than the second. Though it is impossible to notice during the early years of development, these sacks gradually become bigger until the female is ready to mate. These sacks are what hold and develop the baby. Male zephyr whales instead have two long whip like fins that come off the ends of the tail. The longer the wisps are, the more likely a female is to be attracted. It is not proven, though assumed that these wisps aid in tracking storms through pressures.
Lifespan: Unknown, but considered to be over a century due to legends of zephyr whales boasting the same scars being seen over the period of several decades.
No one has ever recovered the body of a Zephyr Whale, so their status as being 'real' is based entirely on legends and tales.
