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The Ghahathi is a species of semi-terrestrial, freshwater cephalopod found in the grasslands of Faldest and southern Slaazmadal. They are best known for constructing spherical shells from minerals and a mucus which they secrete from specialized glands in their tentacles, this mucus forms a powerful bond with the minerals used. The mucus is also excellent at retaining water, an enclosed Ghahathi is capable of staying out of water for several weeks without drying out and as long as their gills stay wet, they can breathe air with ease. Ghahathi locomote by extending their tentacles out from the small holes which are scattered across the surface of their shell, their eyes reside on stalks so that they may peer out, and their beak is on the end of a trunk so that they may feed off of things too large to pull into the shell. Once the shell is fully formed, a Ghahathi is unable to leave it until it outgrows the shell, once this occurs, the constriction triggers a response in their body which causes them to secrete a second type of mucus, one which weakens the bonds of the first time and allows them to escape, the abandoned shells are a common sight in their range. Typically, a Ghahathi will create an underwater store of materials so that they may construct a new shell in relative safety.
Most Ghahathi predators take advantage of the holes found in their shell and only take a tentacle or two before leaving, though they have a rather infamous relationship with one beast which bypasses the shell entirely. The Undalkest — a massive, bipedal amphibian, uses its pharyngeal jaws to effortlessly crush the shells of a Ghahathi. This has resulted in an eons-long evolutionary arms race between the two species, Ghahathi develop mucus which creates stronger bonds and learn to prioritize specific minerals, while the Undalkest develops a stronger pharyngeal bite force to counteract this.
Ghahathi are omnivorous and depending on their size, feed on different things. Young Ghahathi which haven't yet reached the age where they form their first shell will prey on fish, underwater plants, and many forms of invertebrate, while larger ones will begin to prey on larger animals and may strip entire trees of their fruit. The rarest of the Ghahathi, ones which were able to live many decades without being killed, will sometimes even prey on Wyrms. These "Elders" are revered by many of the local peoples, as their long life has resulted them in being so large that the Undalkest is unable to prey on them. Elder Ghahathi lose the ability to produce offspring, but will often become the "guardian" of specific bodies of water which younger Ghahathi use as spawning grounds, protecting them from not only the Undalkest, but other predators as well.
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The Ghahathi was created in 2025 and was inspired by Amphioctopus marginatus, their relationship with the Undalkest was inspired by that between the rough-skinned newt and the garter snake.