ROSWELL ROD

Roswell Rods' appearances are what most people imagine an Air Rod to look like: they are about 5 inches long and 1 inch thick with rectangular-segmented, seven-piece bodies, five sets of long, dragonfly-like wings, and circular mouths on each end. They have twenty-eight small, black eyes—half on top, half on their underside. Older, well-fed rods can cause the air to have a slightly green tinge, especially on clear, sunny days.

A kind of Skyfish called a juicer, Roswell Rods have two pincher-claws near the mouth to aid in feeding; whereas other Skyfish bite and tear Atmoplankton, consuming their entire forms, juicers pierce Atmoplankton to siphon the liquids inside of them, discarding the gelatinous casings. Some Atmoplankton can recover from this predation, causing populations to be less influenced by juicer activity.

Skyfish Trends

Skyfish share many similarities: insect-like wings (like those of a fly, dragonfly, or butterfly) that exist as a pair on each body segment, wide and rectangular forms like a Hershey's chocolate bar stacked three tall, but rounder, bubbly. On the head and posterior of the animal is an ovular, stretchy mouth. Each segment has four eyes—two on top, two on the belly—instead of the typical two.

Skyfish are the most "rod-like" in appearance and appear as blurry cylinders in the sky, as well as in photograph and recordings. They are often compared to centipedes or worms; large individuals may resemble fish while feeding, as their mouths stretch open wide to collect atmoplankton, and their wings stretch out to the side like fins as they glide.

Due to their diet, Skyfish glow with a green hue after large meals or while breeding. The shade of green depends not only on the species of Atmoplankton they feed on, but the quantity, their age, and species. For example, since Roswell Rods only consume the an Atmoplankton's juice, the food's color is more of a bright, yellow-green; this creates an olive tone behind their somewhat blue, translucent skin.

habitat

Air Rods can be found all over the world and throughout the troposphere—from top to bottom. Frail, they are easily injured, especially upon impacts from moving objects, like cars. Some Air Rods' bodies are so gooey that if they accidentally touch something in the environment or land on the ground, they are unable to fly back into the air.

Roswell Rods can be found not only in Midway, Dexter, and Roswell, but throughout the skies of New Mexico, Arizona, and western Texas.

ACTIVITY

Skyfish are exclusively diurnal organisms. As their only food source requires sunlight, they reside where clear, bright days are numerous. Feeding and traveling generally from 5 am to 8 pm, they are more lethargic on cloudy days or in the winter.

During rest periods, the creatures excrete their remaining food reserves and waste, removing the glow from their bodies. Processed food builds a light bending, fat layer to protect and enrich the animal during times of scarcity or to prepare for breeding.

Diet

Skyfish sustain themselves by preying upon Atmoplankton, harnessing energy from these airborne microorganisms by consuming them whole or siphoning the energy rich, liquid concoction within.

REPRODUCTION

Skyfish are medium-sized Air Rods, growing between 2 - 4 inches in length.

The second smallest category of high sky life, Air Rods range from one to six inches in length. Like Atmoplankton, they cluster together at the end of their life and can form connected colonies that stretch up to four feet long!

While Air Rods can usually escape predation, they are particularly vulnerable when they gather to produce offspring. They reproduce through colonial fragmentation, a type of sexual reproduction where several individuals swap genetic information, morph into one organism, and break up into several small pieces—creating baby Air Rods. Like Atmoplankton, Air Rods are ready to reproduce once enough energy has been stored; child-creating also marks the end of their life.

Air Rods begin the process by flying above the clouds, making themselves clearly visible to potential mates. From there, they carry out dazzling performances; each species has its own preferences and displays: some develop coloration on their wings, creating vibrating neon stripes; others blink with moving patterns across their body or light their entire forms up in reds, oranges, greens, and yellows. As in all atmospheric animals, these colorful hues are only visible to their specialized eyes—they cannot be seen by our eyes without equipment.

Air Rods that are ready to mate attach themselves to the front or back of a partner; when enough partners have connected and swapped genetic material, the Air Rods cease to glow, harden together, and sink. Tethered in breeding colonies, their movement is awkward and slow. Luckily, they do not need to feed, only wait. After a few days, the group breaks into double or triple the number of Air Rods that gathered together. These Air Rod fragments are weak specks. It takes many months for them to mature and grow to their full potential.