While some Sauma Kudrilo populations inhabit freshwater environments full of tall seagrass, they are most often found in vibrant saltwater reefs, which provide a source of shelter and camouflage for these iridescent aquatic creatures. Due to its elongated body and underdeveloped fins, the Sauma Kudrilo is a poor swimmer in open currents and prefers still, shallow waters—especially those protected by corals and rocks. They are particularly fond of making their home inside clusters of spindly Malsana Fingro corals, which are coated with a substance highly toxic to most other fish and would-be marine predators. Impervious to this poison due to the flexible bony plates that cover its body, the Sauma Kudrilo mates and broods its young within these branchlike reefs, using their prehensile tails to wrap around coral polyps for stability. After a complicated courtship dance, the female deposits its eggs into the ventral brood pouch of the male, who fertilizes them and eventually gives birth to free-swimming fry.

The creatures that dwell in this rather desolate world still display some diversity in appearance, eating habits, and social behavior. Whether they have fur or feathers, skin or scales, their unique genetic makeup allows for a variety of colors and markings within each species. Despite limitations in food sources, herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores are all present in the food chain, and each species requires specialized care within a laboratory. Although the artificial setting of housing units and breeding pods precludes most opportunities to study true interspecific behavior, the interactions within and between species has been studied extensively in the wilderness by scientists daring enough to venture beyond the outpost’s walls.