#i am in a very normal state about how they're like a transitional species between former and current interests

[rcrisdraws]

Blorbo posting on main time-

[greengold-c]

Case Study: Determining the Shark Species of Semeru

I spent hours researching sharks to learn more about which one Semeru from Coral Island was based on, if there was a specific one. I identified one, though it's not a perfect match. Feel free to skip to "verdict" at the bottom for my guess. I welcome comments from anyone more knowledgeable.

Observations:

Semeru notably has 3 dorsal fins (most sharks, if not all, have 2), an anal fin (normal), and he has neither pelvic fins nor (male:) claspers (absence of both is unusual). He has pectoral fins and a heterocercal caudal fin (both typical of sharks), the latter with a subterminal notch on the upper lobe (seen in many sharks, but can help us narrow down species).

He has countershading typical of an aquatic creature found in regions of the ocean that light reaches, with grey blue coloration dorsally and white ventrally. There is a fairly distinct demarcation line.

He has 3 gill slits. I attribute the absence of additional ones to that being the point at which his body transitions to human.

A spoiler for dialogue and personality, but not really story: Semeru states that he hatched. He adds that he was alone at that time. The exact dialogue is a little vague. (“They weren't particularly nurturing, my family… I mean. I don't know where they were. After I was hatched, I was pretty much on my own.” and “When I hatched, I didn't have the luxury of a loving family waiting for me. No warm welcomes, no guiding fins.”) Sharks can bear their young in different ways. Most are ovoviviparous (eggs hatch within the mother, are nourished internally, then born live). Some are oviparous (lay fertilized eggs in water). Some are viviparous (no traditional egg, born live).

Thoughts:

Semeru having 3 dorsal fins is easily his most notable and unusual feature. I couldn't find any sharks that had 3. Any sharks with 2 dorsal fins closer to their tail are missing the prominent first one he has and typically have very unusual body shapes and colors due to living in a different area of the ocean.

The absence of pelvic fins was particularly unusual too. I think this was done either for design aesthetics or as a form of understandable sexual censorship.

How Semeru was born could be very important in determining what type of shark he is, but there are some problems. The words he uses could be interpreted as talking about hatching while literally alone or about hatching within his mother, growing, then being born and immediately left to fend for himself. I initially believed he was likely born alone, but his shape and colors don't resemble any of the egg-laying shark species I looked at. Perhaps he hatched in an egg internally or perhaps there are some creative freedoms taken in how we interpret the reproduction of shark Merfolk.

Conclusions:

I think the most relevant features for identifying what shark type he could be are shape (body shape, first dorsal fin, caudal fin) and color.

Given the setting of the game, the developers, and Semeru being the name of a volcano in Indonesia, I chose to narrow the pool of possible sharks by only looking at 20 sharks found in Indonesia. I googled it and am fully trusting in a chart someone put together on a shark fan website. I'm open to the possibility that I am missing options here, but don't care terribly much because I'm already many days into research at this point. (Blue sharks- a compelling early option to me due to their shape and color- were eliminated this way, but they would've been culled from the option pool later anyway since they're viviparous.)

I think the only sharks commonly found in Indonesia that he could be are the bull shark and great white shark. Great hammerhead gets an honorable mention, but the color doesn't fit quite as well. Both of these sharks are highly aggressive, which I think fits with his personality to a degree. I think the bull shark is a better fit when considering its 7' (2.25m) length and the slightly more gradual transition between colors. I think the great white shark is a better fit when considering the absence of the white stripe extending up his tail. Both can be found in Indonesia, but I'm not certain either would favor the particular water of the Merfolk Kingdom (perhaps not adequately brackish and shallow for the bull shark, but possibly warmer than what a typical great white would favor?). As it turns out, knowing that he hatched is the key. Bull sharks are viviparous, while great white sharks are ovoviviparous.

Verdict: Semeru is likely part great white shark, despite a few anatomical differences between him and one.