Arcturan Razorshell
Basic Information
Anatomy
The Arcturan Razorshell is a large spieces of tortoise, with four legs and a small tail. Like all tortoises the Arcturan Razorshell has a hard protective shell covering most of its body, however unlike other tortoise spieces, the Razorshell's body only takes up the lower 55% of the shell, the higher area of the shell being a ridgid honeycomb like structure, and known to be homes for the Razorshell's symbiotic spieces, the Arcturan Razorwing.
Dietary Needs and Habits
The Razorshell is an omnivor, though will normally only gather plants itself, being too slow and heavy to chase down mice or hunt for fish. The Razorwings they have a symbiotic relationship with however will bring back food they gather for the Razorshell, including fish, rodents and berries.
Additional Information
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
The Razorshell has a symbiotic relationship with a spieces of small bird, closely related to Kestrels. The Razorwings make their nests inside the ridgid, honeycomb upper structure of the Razorshell's shell, having a safe and sheltered place to raise thier chicks and eggs, the Razorshell providing the safety from the environment and acting as a defense against predators of the Razorwing.
In tandem the Razorwings bring back food for the Razorshell, the tortoise being so large the effort and energy exuded to find and gather food on their own would result in an eternal loop. Due to this relationship of being fed for protection, the life span of the Razorshell has dramatically increased, as like with other repitles and crocodilians the Razorshell will continue aging until either sickness due to their age takes them, or they grow too big to gather food on their own and they starve.
Lifespan
200 Years
Average Height
5ft
Average Weight
1200 lbs
Average Length
7ft
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Razorshells are typically a dark olive green in colouration on their skin, with their shells being influenced in colour by their diet. Razorshells who feed mainly on fish and rodents have a dark, reddish colouration to their shells, and those who mainly feed off plants and berries have a lighter brownish colouration to their shells. The pattering on a Razorshell's shell isn't decied by them, instead being almost painted with berry juice, mud, clay or whatever natural dies the Razorwings can bring back to their nests inside the shells, patterning the Razorshell to be both recogniseable to them at a distance when returning home, and make clear to other Razorwings that the shell is inhabbited already.
Geographic Distribution
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