Moon Turtles

Moon turtles are a type of sea turtle native to Yuriba, abundant in the waters near both Yuriba and Maboroshi. They are somewhat different from the turtles seen elsewhere in the world due to their isolation and the effects of the ley lines abundant in the area. They typically grow to a length of about half a meter, though some have reached a length of up to a full meter. They typically have a grayish-white coloration on their heads and limbs, though they occasionally develop a slight orange tint, and their shells are decorated with flat whitened areas with grayed, circular depressions scattered throughout.

Diet

The main diet of the moon turtle consists of shell fish, mainly clams and oysters, but they will also feed on smaller fish. When eating an shell fish, the moon turtle will use a sharp elongation in the middle of its upper jaw to crack the shell until broken far enough to allow it to eat the fleshy insides. If eating a pearl oyster with a small pearl inside, the turtle will also eat the pearl, and the material from the pearl will eventually end up as part of its shell. Moon turtles have also been known to occasionally eat small amounts of seaweed.

Mating

The moon turtle has a seasonal mating migration in which it will temporarily leave its ocean habitat for a single night to swim up the streams into Yuriba. It will find a mate through methods uncertain to a person observing the behavior and then, as the sun begins to rise, will swim back down the stream and lay the eggs on its bed, near the ocean waters.

Religious Associations

The moon turtle, as suggested by its name, is associated with Engetsu, and the shells of long-past turtles found in the streams of Yuriba were sometimes used to decorate temples devoted to her. Some theories say that it may have been used in ceremonies or rituals related to Engetsu.