| Merfolk | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Naming | |||
| Others | Mermaid (female) Merman (male) | ||
| Binomen | N/A | ||
| Morphology | |||
| Body type | Mammalian | ||
| Intelligence | |||
| Sentience | Sentient | ||
| Sapience | Sapient | ||
| Ecology | |||
| Place of origin | Pacific Ocean | ||
| Diet | Piscivorous | ||
| Locomotion | Swimming | ||
| Behind the Scenes | |||
| Universe | State of Jefferson | ||
| Created by | Harry Turtledove | ||
Merfolk are a species of sapient aquatic mammals, evolutionarily-related to manatees. Unlike their sirenian ancestors, however, they consume fish.
Biology[]
Merfolk have smooth, hairless, olive-colored skin. Their heads are large and round-shaped, with rudimentary ears like those of a sea-lion, entirely black eyes set widely apart, slit-shaped nostrils, a split upper lip and a bushy mustache made of stiff yellowish whiskers, present in both genders. Their hands are very different from a primate's hands, having clawless, partially-webbed digits arranged in such way that they're all opposeable to each other. Females have large breasts, but are otherwise not very different from the males.
The Merfolks' mouth anatomy prevents them from speaking human languages, although they can still learn to understand them. Their mouths have bony plates instead of teeth, and their tongue has a weird shape. Their own language can only be spoken underwater.
Culture and society[]
Merfolk live in clans headed by a single chief. They spend most of their lives in the ocean, but are known to travel to rivers in the Pacific northwest of North America to hunt for salmon. The rest of the time, they prefer to avoid freshwater, as it makes them vulnerable to parasites such as skin fungi. They use domesticated dolphins in the same way humans use watchdogs and sheepdogs, and have even domesticated killer whales, which can attack the Merfolks' enemies on command.
Unlike Sasquatches and Yetis, Merfolk live apart from human society, and don't participate in politics. However, they do trade with humans and have even performed services and trained soldiers for the United States Navy. They have acquired spearguns from humans, the technology of which they cannot replicate, and use them to hunt schools of mackerel.
Appearances[]
- "Something Fishy", by Harry Turtledove (2020)