Gry

The gry is a type of large, carnivorous leicute native to the world of Jhembaz. The gry's most characteristic features are its multiple long, narrow, multijointed limbs and appendages; compared to the length of these appendages, the organism's main body is relatively small. Most species of gry possess six limbs, each tipped with a rhizoid foot, as well as two tails and a long, sinuous neck.

Habitat

Most gries live in the treetops, using their limbs to swing through the trees. They are agile climbers and brachiators, able to move through the foliage at impressive speeds. They are also well camouflaged in their arboreal habitat, their thin extremities easily mistakable for vines and creepers. Gries are found throughout Jhembaz, having adapted to a wide variety of climates and types of foliage—they may find it hard to survive out of the forest, but since nearly all of Jhembaz is forested, on their native world that's not an issue. There are, however, a few aquatic species that dwell in the worlddisk's seas.

Anatomy

The most remarkable feature of the gry is its skeletal structure. Though the gry has bones, they are for the most part vestigial, unarticulated and much reduced in size and serving little purpose outside of adding a bit of protection. The skull is an exception; it remains full-sized and the gry's head is the hardest part of its body. The main factor giving the gry support is instead a series of muscular, ductile, fluid-filled tubes, apparently developing from blood vessels, maintaining the thing's form by hydraulic pressure. This contributes to the gry's flexibility, while little diminishing its strength. These skeletal tubes are very tough, and if punctured or severed can usually be quickly closed off, minimizing the loss of the hydraulic serum inside. Some species of gry have the ability to intentionally vent some of the hydraulic serum from their skeletal tubes, though the exact effects of the fluid vary. The gry does store extra reservoirs of hydraulic serum in its hydraulic glands, but of course the amount is finite, and if too much is lost (either by intentional discharge or through wounds) it will need time to replenish the liquid, and may have impaired strength and mobility until then. The loss of too much serum can be fatal, since without the necessary support some of the gry's organs may tend to crush each other under their own weight, or close off important ducts. However, the gry can move serum between tubes, so if it is lost it will be taken from the least necessary tubes first (generally the limbs and tails); only a considerable loss of serum will impinge upon the tubes of the torso and directly endanger the gry's life.

Diet and behavior

Gries are efficient hunters that prefer to take down relatively large prey, rather than subsisting on the meat of many smaller animals. Unfortunately, adult humans happen to be almost the ideal size for the prey of many gry species, though aside from size there's no particular reason for gries to prefer humans as food. Technically, most gries are facultative carnivores, able to subsist on some vegetable matter if necessary. However, they have to consume much more plant matter to sustain themselves than animal matter, and much prefer to eat meat; unless it has no other alternative, a gry is unlikely to eat more vegetable matter than perhaps the occasional fruit.

Mating and Reproduction

Gries are solitary beings that do not form lasting attachments. They seem to have an irregular andral cycle, with an unpredictable time between aesti, ranging from twenty days to more than four months. When a gry is in aestus, however, it seeks out a fertile female, often ranging widely to do so, and initiates a serpentine mating dance. Many species of gry grow extra adornments when in aestus, often very colorful, the better to attract the female's attention and approval. After mating, the male and female gry have no further attachment, and will go their separate ways. It has been known for a male gry to repeatedly return to the same female during successive aesti, but it seems to be at least as common for the males to seek out new females each time.

About ten days after mating, the female will lay its eggs. Most species of gry lay clutches of five to seven eggs at a time. These eggs are hidden, generally buried in the ground or implanted beneath the bark of trees, but are not usually otherwise cared for by the mother. In about a month, they hatch, the newborn gries subsisting initially on small animals and even insects until they grow closer to adult size.

Species

There are numerous species of gry on Jhembaz, though the best known and most widespread are the green gries, a term actually encompassing several similar species in the genus Alypon. The largest known species is the whale gry, though this is confined to the water; the largest terrestrial species is the bark gry. The smallest species of gry is the black gry, also notable for bearing fur, unlike most gry species.

Other gry species are notable for their special abilities or other characteristics. The blue gry is venomous, poisoning its prey with its bite; the shell gry has rigid plates formed from its bones. Among the gry varieties that vent serum are the fire gry, the red gry, and the acid gry; their serum has properties of flammability, irritation, and corrosivity, respectively. Several species of gry have magical powers. The gaze of the gray gry places victims in suspended animation, the hopper gry has short-distance translocational abilities, and the dreaded shadow gry has powers of thelxis and mind control.