East Asian Maris Sapiens Study

This is TOTALLY going to be scrapped.... but I'm sick and bored and I need to give dA some love, so here it is.

We got to do a report in biology on any animal we wanted. I chose Maris Sapiens (merpeople.)

I decided to report on the maris sapiens of the east Asian/Pacific. Going from right to left:

The Chinese ribbon tail (lemiscus cauda) is found on the eastern coast of China and part of Russia. Its tail is long and slender, and it receives its name from the 'ribbons' of color on the tail and fin. Altogether, a ribbon tail measures somewhere in the range of about 7 feet or so. The tail is usually a charcoal color with ribbons that range from deep orange to pale gold. Hair ranges from purples and blues to black. Eyes are usually dark. The female is slightly smaller and has smoother ribbon designs on her tail, lacking the ribbon pigments on the sides of the tail.

Ribbon tails are carnivorous and eat smaller fish and crustaceans. They're usually not aggressive, but they are very defensive when provoked. They are found living in families among reefs.

An earlier drawing I did of the ribbon tail can be found here: [link]

The Japanese blossom fin (floresco cauda), so named for its fins looking like petals and with colors to compliment the look of a flower inhabits the waters east of Japan extending into the waters of the southern pacific islands. The blossom fin is larger than the ribbon tail, measuring about 7.5-8 ft. The blossom fin has a broad chest, a small stomach, and a thicker tail than a ribbon tail. Blossom fin tails usually have flesh colored fins and green tails. The hair usually ranges from green to brown and black and the eyes are dark. Females are much smaller

Blossom fins are carnivorous and eat mostly fish. They are aggressive. They're usually found in families that live among rock formations.

Pacific Gliders (Volaticus Cauda) are named so because the male of the species has dorsel fins that expand and allow it to glide slightly while jumping (similar to the flying fish, however not as long lasting in the air.) The length of the glider is between that of a ribbon tail and a blossom fin. The caudal fin is extremely wide, beginning midway up the tail. Glider tails are usually silvery to deep blue. Their hair, much like the ribbon tail, ranges from blues to purples and black, and their eyes are dark. The female is slightly smaller.

Gliders are carnivorous and eat small fish, mollusks and crustaceans. They also live in rock formations in families. They are not aggressive, but like ribbon tails, they will become defensive when provoked.

Merpeople may have the upper anatomy of a human, but their tails are not nearly as human-like as many think. They in fact do not have a pelvis, but rather, at the lower lumbar they have enlarged vertebrae that form around the waist, looking much like a pelvis. Because of this, however, they cannot sit upright like a human being as they are often depicted to do.

Their anuses are far down on their tails, and as such, their bodies do not need much to eat without compromising their nutrition since their bodies have more time to absorb nutrients. Merpeople are mammals.

(I hope you don't think I actually know latin!)

Any question on maris sapiens, just ask me! =3

(And no, I will not draw the girls! I will have no nudity in my gallery, thanks!)