COLAFISH - TIMELINE #152466

(Timeline Tuesday #64)

Colafish are aquatic, saltwater creatures covered in glistening scales that move from silver to green in hue. These creatures are about a foot long, featuring slender bodies that end in a broad tail. This tail is used to propel Colafish through the water, with additional guidance from a pair of smaller fins at their sides. As the color of this creature grows lighter, their scales fall away to reveal a hard, can-like carapace that makes up their upper torso. The head of a Colafish is flat and featureless, other than a small opening and a boney appendage that looks like a soda tab.

The Colafish uses this tab to rap against its own body, creating a distinct clinking sound with which these creatures can communicate over great distances. This opening is where a Colafish consumes its prey, which is typically made up of smaller fishes, insects, and plankton.

While Colafish are currently plentiful thanks to protective laws, they are constantly in danger of overfishing. This creatures provide a delicious treat to those who catch them, and while their meat is said to be bitter and inedible, the top portion of their body provides something much sweeter.

When a Colafish is captured it will trigger a unique protective ability, shutting its mouth and hardening its outer body, including the lower half. In the wild, this provides great protection against predators who cannot pry the Colafish open, nor break its shell. Humans, however, can easily use their opposable thumbs to pop open the creature’s mouth, killing it instantly.

If a Colafish remains in this locked up state for approximately an hour, its insides will dissolve into a sugary, carbonated liquid, similar to that of a regular cola but with a slightly distinct flavor that is wholly their own. This liquid is seen as an expensive, rare treat.