Gyarados

Gyarados, part of my Pokemon Zoology Collection.
Story:
A member of the crew called out when they spotted a flock of birds circling ahead. We could see the waters were churning as thousands of fish spiralled just under the surface, a perfect hunting ground. Suddenly, a few metres away from the shoal, a tall, white fin rose from the depths and tore through the water like a knife, it was a Gyarados! The crew rushed to their stations and readied a drone. Back in the day, people would go into the water with spears to tag trackers on the Gyarados, but as technology evolved, it became obvious that it was far safer to use drones rather than risk anyone's life.
 
Once it was in the water, we crowded around a screen to see what was happening under the surface. It was amazing. Huge shoals of fish curled into tornados as the Gyarados swam through them with amazing speed, especially for its size, this one had to be at least 15 metres long. 
Related to a family of fish called Placodermi, they have armoured plating which allows them to withstand the immense pressures of the deep ocean. The armour is covered in a thin layer of skin made up of ‘dermal scales’. Similar to sharks skin, which have grooved scales that interlock, helping stop algae and bacteria build up. However, barnacles and limpets sometimes build up on their ‘trident’, the three pronged crest on their foreheads. You’ll sometimes see Gyarados swim into the shallows to allow a number of fish to feed in the barnacles and help keep the giants clean.
 
Gyarados have a unique ability compared to other water Pokemon, especially for their size. Inside their body are a number of flexible hollow chambers that fill with natural hydrogen. The gas makes them rise through the water at tremendous speeds, making them amazing ambush predators. However, if they don't release the gas, they can erupt out of the water gaining heights of up to 7 metres and essentially glide through the air for a few seconds before crashing back into the water. Though debated for many years by many in the field, this ability has earned them the title of ‘Water/Flying type’.

Read the rest of the story on my Patreon!
------
Help fund Pokemon Zoology: https://www.patreon.com/JoshuaDunlop
Grab some prints: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/JoshuaDunlop
For more work, follow me at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JoshDunlopConceptArtist/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/joshdunlopconceptartist/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JRRDunlop
Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/JoshuaDunlopConceptArtist