User:Spartan G-23/Tsyorecht

The Tsyorecht (Clavus Gadus) are a species of aquatic fish found on the Precursor homeworld of Īweriū.

Information
The Tsyorecht are a mid-trophic level predator that exists in shallow waters and reefs in the seas of Īweriū, as well as inland lagoons. They are primarily a solitary hunter, feeding on mollusk-like and crab-like creatures that existed on the bottom of the reefs and in rocky outcroppings near the shore. They typically hunt for their food during the day, and at night they occasionally head out into deeper waters to scavenge food off of the kills of the much larger Zamnukee, despite the chance that the larger creatures may choose to eat them.

Physiology
The Tsyorecht are 70 centimetres long, and weigh approximately 45 kilograms. They move, albeit slowly, using their two pectoral fins, and uses its caudal fin for navigation and balance. Unlike many other creatures of Īweriū, the Tsyorecht lack any form of bony plate to protect its body, with the exception of a small frontal plate used to protect the head from prey with claws. Across the body of the Tsyorecht are sharp spikes. These spikes are used both for protection from predators, and as a hunting mechanism. If a creature were to be cut by one of these spikes, the Tsyorecht releases a deadly tetrodoxin to kill it, which not only protects it from predators, but allows it to eat the potential predator. The tetrodoxin, however, is often produced and released in minimal amounts to conserve energy, which means that larger animals and animals that have a resistance to the tetrodoxin have a high chance of surviving the toxin. When hunting for prey, which is typically buried underneath the sand, the Tsyorecht dredges the area through the use of its spikes, which simultaneously removes the hiding place of the prey and kills it with the tetradoxin.

Cultural Value and Significance
The Tsyorecht, while of minimal importance to most Precursor tribes, had immense value to the Kurhapo tribe. Due to thousands of years of consuming the Tsyorecht, the Kurhapo developed a natural resistance to the tetrodoxin. This resulted in them using the Tsyorecht for not only food, but as weapons. The spikes of the Tsyorecht were used by the Kurhapo used as weapons of brutal efficiency against the other tribes who had no resistance to the tetrodoxin, making them easy kills. It also served as an export that the Kurhapo tribes made to other tribes, who would often use the spikes for assassination purposes. The Tsyorecht proved to be a constant source of food for the Kurhapo, and their rite of passage was the hunting and killing of a Tsyorecht underwater. By the time the Precursors reached Tier 4 technology, the Tsyorecht was endangered due to overfishing. This resulted in a large-scale ban of the fishing of the Tsyorecht, allowing their numbers to recover. The Tsyorecht was introduced to many Precursor colonies, and still populate the reefs and lagoons of many planets across the galaxy.