Singing Fish

While technically only the females have any claim to the name, the taxonomists of Kasputin Yar refer to the entire species as singing fish. A singing fish is a long-bodied creature with six finned limbs, and a vertically flat tail used for swimming. Their have large, rounded eyes that protrude upwards from their heads, for looking uo out of te water without fully revealing themselves, and they feed mainly on tender plants and small invertebrates.

The male counterpart to the singing fish is an agile climber with its forward pair of limbs dedicated largely to a set of powerful, serrated talons, used for tearing flesh from larger creatures. Their middle set of limbs are membranous, often tattered-looking wings, and their rear legs are powerful, clawed things used for springing off of stalks into the air. They feed primarily on large, slow-moving canopy creatures, and have been uncharitably compared to the more vicious biting insect life of other worlds. Unlike such insect life, chemical sprays and odors are largely ineffective in repelling these vicious pests. Thus, when one is entering an area they frequent, it is advisable to spend all time not under shelter fully alert. And carrying a bat.

The females of the species sing surprisingly complex tunes from the water, gathering in large groups. The males can identify the females by song, ad even glean information upon the health and size of a female by her pitch and the strength of her song. Individual males may spend weeks courting a female before mating takes place, and these creatures mate for life. Given how short and violent their lives often are, singing fish move in quickly and seek a new mate, if their own should be lost.

A handful of predatory species sing songs that are difficult to distinguish from those of a singing fish, and males who do not see through this ruse are, for such predators, a dietary staple.