The World Of Khoras - Fauna and Flora - Fauna - Swamp

Ebrin

Physical Description

The ebrin is a large smooth bodied, limbless and finless creature that seems to be, on the evolutionary scale, somewhere between a fish and an amphibian. It roughly torpedo shaped, somewhat like a fat walrus lacking the tusks and whiskers. The typical ebrin is about ten feet long and a little over one thousand pounds. Its dark brown skin is smooth and caked with mud. It has large, intelligent looking black eyes. The ebrin is able to release a loud, reverberating roar which can be heard a great distance.

Combat

Ebrin (the same word refers to both singular and plural) are peaceful bottom feeders and herbivores. In general, they avoid combat. They are slow moving creatures, but can escape predators by burying themselves deep in the mud or submerging underneath the surface of the water. The ebrin may also use its roar in an attempt to scare off a predator.

Habitat

Ebrin are found only in wetlands, primarily the Barakose Swamp, Trackless Mire, Stench Bog and the Gynfell Mud Flats. They are able to breathe both air and water and spend their lives slithering through the muck and mud of swamps. The ebrin is a solitary creature, pairing up only to mate. Young stay with the mother for up to a full year for protection.

Ecology

The ebrin obtains food by straining microorganisms from the mud and supplements this with a variety of mosses, lichens, molds and fungi. The ebrin itself is edible and yields a very soft, tender meat. The animal also has a thick layer of blubber which can be boiled down into a flammable oil. The hide of the creature, if properly prepared, yields a good leather. For these reasons, ebrin are occasionally hunted. It is a favored prey of the saurians.

This page last updated Monday, October 08, 2007. Copyright 1990-2008 David M. Roomes.

Contact Webmaster