Pronounced: Swee-rin
Female & Male: Suiryn | Infant: Suipole
Most Suiryn are dull browns, to blend into their natural habitat. The most common markings to see on them are either spots or stripes, most often a darker or lighter color than their main body color. The brighter the colors of its skin are, the more rare a Suiryn is considered. Some Suiryn even have the natural mutation of their pupils being horizontal instead of vertical, making these the most sought after and can fetch a high price if sold. Their back lure and eyes can glow, and in some rare cases they can glow two colors at once.
Description
Suiryns are naturally skittish in nature, and prefer to be left alone. Their first reaction when seeing anything larger than them approaching is to run and hide, being much more passive than aggressive. They can be found in any body of water, from ponds to lakes. Their size depends on what body of water they grew up in, for example if they grew up in a creek they will be very small, and ones who grew up in a lake could grow to the size of a baby Draken, in some cases! Once domesticated, if you can catch or lure one out of hiding, they take quickly to their owners, happy to rub up against their legs and sit on your chest when you sleep. They make a low sound when they are happy, something between a croak and a purr. If you do adopt one, just make sure you have a pool or some water nearby, as Suiryns can get very sick if their skin dries out! Suiryn are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female genitalia. Their owners usually choose pronouns to refer to them on their own, or just refer to their pets as "they" more accurately. Suiryn also have a webbed maw and paws!
Breeding
Any one Suiryn can mate with another, since they all have the genitals and organs to complete such a task. They have a set mating season, and don’t usually stay with whatever other Suiryn they chose to mate with. Suiryn are monotremes, meaning they lay eggs but are still considered mammals. Most of the time Suiryns will lay their eggs in the closest body of water they can find and leave, only a rare few actually choosing to stay with their young to raise them when they hatch. Newly hatched Suiryns are called “Suipoles”.
Diet
Suiryns are carnivores, and are fairly picky. They eat anything available to them in the wild from fish to insects, but once introduced to captivity they will only settle for the freshest and most expensive seafood that can be found or bought. They can be a bit of a pest if you want to have a pond in your yard, as any hungry Suiryn around will not pass up the opportunity to steal your precious fish. Even domestic Suiryns tend to be a little too interested in household fish that are kept as pets...
Abilities and Skills
Suiryns use the light on their back to lure in fish and other prey, then use their quick reflexes to turn and grab their prey in their sharp teeth. Their eyes are also able to glow, for being able to see in dark waters. They have small, sharp claws, that aren't of much use besides inflicting some small scratches and digging in soft sand or mud, so their teeth are their main source of attack. They are still very passive creatures though, known to avoid attacking as much as they can unless it is truly a life or death situation. The pouches on the sides of a Suiryn’s face are called its vocal sacs, both used to make its soft purr-croak noise, and used to puff up when feeling threatened to look bigger. The spike looking things down their spine are used as both feelers and another method of intimidation, the spines sticking straight up when threatened and laying flatter when content.