Waikiru

The Waikiru were a species of walrus-like RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. that dwelled along the shorelines of Ga-MetruGa-MetruGa-Metru is a district of Metru Nui, home to the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. on Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. and of Ga-WahiGa-WahiGa-Wahi was a region situated to the east on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by Ga-Matoran and various Rahi. The region once fell under the domain of Teridax, though that connection did not endure. Ga-Wahi no longer existed in later records. on the island of Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna.. The species was distinguished by a clear split in capability between water and land: in the sea, Waikiru moved with the speed and agility that their stout, streamlined frames allowed, while on shore they were clumsy, weighed down by the same bulk that propelled them so well beneath the surface. The RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. were catalogued among the coastal fauna of the Water tribes' two great settlements and entered the in-universe record through the bestiary compiled by Rahaga NorikNorikToa of Fire and leader of the Toa Hagah, who broke with the Brotherhood of Makuta to recover the Avohkii and led his team through a thousand years of mutation as a Rahaga before being restored. during the Great Rescue.

Habitat and range#

The Waikiru's range followed the coastlines of the two principal Water-tribe settlements. On Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive., the species dwelled along the shores of Ga-MetruGa-MetruGa-Metru is a district of Metru Nui, home to the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh., the metru of NokamaNokamaNokama served as Toa Metru of Water, endured the Hordika mutation, and led Ga-Koro and later Ga-Metru as Turaga through three eras.'s tribe and the centre of the Water MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body.'s scholarly and aquatic life. After the Great CataclysmThe Great CataclysmThe day Makuta Teridax put the Great Spirit to sleep, the Great Spirit Robot fell from the sky, Metru Nui flooded, and Voya Nui tore loose from the Southern Continent. and the relocation of the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. population from Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. to the surface island above it, the species was encountered along the shores of Ga-WahiGa-WahiGa-Wahi was a region situated to the east on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by Ga-Matoran and various Rahi. The region once fell under the domain of Teridax, though that connection did not endure. Ga-Wahi no longer existed in later records., the Water region of the island of Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna.. The two ranges were not separate populations on a strict reading of the in-universe record but the same species observed in successive eras and successive coastal settings.

The shorelines that the Waikiru favoured shared a common profile. Both Ga-MetruGa-MetruGa-Metru is a district of Metru Nui, home to the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. and Ga-WahiGa-WahiGa-Wahi was a region situated to the east on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by Ga-Matoran and various Rahi. The region once fell under the domain of Teridax, though that connection did not endure. Ga-Wahi no longer existed in later records. were defined by an extensive land-to-sea margin, with shallows that gave way to deeper water at moderate distance from shore, and with stretches of beach, rock, and inlet that suited a species needing access to both elements without long overland transit. The Waikiru's behavioural split between water and land mapped onto that geography directly. The species could enter the water from a great many points along the shore, hunt or travel within the shallows or beyond, and return to a basking position on rocks or beach within reach of immediate retreat to deep water if pressed.

Aquatic mobility and terrestrial limitations#

Two attributes defined the Waikiru's physical performance and the niche the species occupied. The first was speed in the water. The Waikiru's body plan, walrus-like in overall silhouette, gave the RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. the streamlining and the propulsive musculature that an aquatic predator or grazer of its size required. In the water the species moved quickly, with a manoeuvrability that allowed it to keep pace with the smaller fish and amphibious species that shared its range and to evade the larger marine predators that hunted those same waters.

The second attribute was clumsiness on land. The same bulk that gave the Waikiru its underwater speed weighed heavily on dry ground. On the beach or on the rocky shore, the species moved slowly, awkwardly, and with the kind of laboured progress that made it an unattractive target for ambush by water-borne predators that could not reach it on land and an attractive target for any terrestrial threat that could close the distance before the Waikiru reached the water. The species' survival therefore depended on remaining within practical reach of the sea at all times, and the populations established themselves accordingly on shores where the water was never far away.

Place in the Water-region ecosystem#

The Waikiru shared its coastal waters with a long list of other RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. species. The Ga-WahiGa-WahiGa-Wahi was a region situated to the east on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by Ga-Matoran and various Rahi. The region once fell under the domain of Teridax, though that connection did not endure. Ga-Wahi no longer existed in later records. entry in the standing record of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. named the Waikiru alongside Dermis TurtlesDermis TurtleThe Dermis Turtle was a small, silver-shelled Rahi native to Metru Nui, valued by Ga-Matoran for its musical cry and its instinctive prediction of storms., HoiHoiSmall turtle Rahi capable of flight, originally native to the Metru Nui coastline and later established in the Le-Wahi swamps and on Voya Nui., TarakavaTarakavaHuge lizard-like Rahi with powerful forelegs, hunted in pairs across Mata Nui and Metru Nui., TakeaTakeaEngineered by the Makuta from viruses and protodermis, the Takea served as Pridak's shock troops in the Pit and as one of the deep ocean's most feared Rahi species. sharks, RukiRukiA common fish-like Rahi of the Ga-Wahi waters with strong jaws, the Ruki was the staple Matoran catch of Ga-Koro, the natural enemy of the Tarakava, and one of the few small Rahi confident enough to drive larger predators away from its shoals. fish, KerasKerasLarge coral crab Rahi native to the ocean of Ga-Metru and the reefs of Ga-Wahi, briefly tamed during the Bohrok War and later conscripted by Carapar., LightfishLightfishSmall bioluminescent fish that glow to attract prey but served as practical light sources for Ga-Matoran homes in Ga-Koro., RazorfishRazorfishTiny but lethal ocean dwellers whose razor-sharp spines could sink a boat., Razor Whales, Cave FishCave FishObscure aquatic Rahi with minimal story presence, documented mostly in BIONICLE creature reference materials., GadunkaGadunkaGadunka is a Rahi belonging to the Gadunka species, distinguished by its fluorescent blue, dark blue, and silver coloration. It wields a Squid Launcher as its tool., Makuta FishMakuta FishA hostile Rahi species that Makuta engineered from viruses and protodermis, named for its unfortunate resemblance to its creator., Proto DrakesProto DrakeAmphibious Rahi created by Makuta Kojol, winged hunters of Protodermis seas prized by Ga-Matoran., and at least one Great Temple SquidGreat Temple SquidA massive predatory Rahi of the deep channels beneath Metru Nui, known for twelve beak-tipped arms and a crushing central maw.. The species inhabited a richly populated marine ecology in which large predators, small prey, and amphibious intermediates each held their niches. The Waikiru's position in that arrangement was that of a sizeable but non-apex coastal grazer-amphibian, large enough to deter most casual aggressors and slow enough on land to defer cautiously to the few species capable of pressing it ashore.

The species' presence in the same waters as the TakeaTakeaEngineered by the Makuta from viruses and protodermis, the Takea served as Pridak's shock troops in the Pit and as one of the deep ocean's most feared Rahi species. sharks established that the Waikiru moved among genuine apex marine predators without being routinely consumed by them. Whether the RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts.'s bulk, its underwater speed, or its preferred shoreline retreat was the deciding factor in that survival, the record did not say, but the established coexistence indicated a species that had adapted competently to the predator pressure of the Ga-WahiGa-WahiGa-Wahi was a region situated to the east on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by Ga-Matoran and various Rahi. The region once fell under the domain of Teridax, though that connection did not endure. Ga-Wahi no longer existed in later records. waters.

Cataloguing in RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. Beasts#

The Waikiru entered the formal in-universe record through the bestiary BIONICLE: Rahi BeastsBIONICLE Reference BooksSix Scholastic and AMEET reference titles published between 2003 and 2009 form the primary printed canon for the Matoran Universe. This page catalogs what each book contains and where the editions diverge., composed during the Great Rescue by Rahaga NorikNorikToa of Fire and leader of the Toa Hagah, who broke with the Brotherhood of Makuta to recover the Avohkii and led his team through a thousand years of mutation as a Rahaga before being restored. of the RahagaToa Hagah and RahagaThe Toa Hagah were appointed to guard Makuta Teridax, mutated into hybrid warriors, and mysteriously restored.. The volume covered the RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. species of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., structured as a sequence of full-page entries that gave each species its physical description, habitat, and behavioural profile. The Waikiru's place in that sequence put it alongside the other coastal and aquatic RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. of the Water regions and confirmed the species' standing as one of the recognised members of Ga-WahiGa-WahiGa-Wahi was a region situated to the east on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by Ga-Matoran and various Rahi. The region once fell under the domain of Teridax, though that connection did not endure. Ga-Wahi no longer existed in later records.'s permanent fauna.

The bestiary was later mentioned in passing in BIONICLE: World as one of the books held in the library of the Order of Mata NuiThe Order of Mata NuiThe covert organization founded by Helryx to serve the Great Spirit directly, operating in concealment from a fortress on Daxia and waging the open war against the Brotherhood of Makuta that decided the fate of the universe., giving the volume's catalogue an institutional status beyond a single naturalist's notes. The Waikiru's listing therefore carried the same authority that the OrderThe Order of Mata NuiThe covert organization founded by Helryx to serve the Great Spirit directly, operating in concealment from a fortress on Daxia and waging the open war against the Brotherhood of Makuta that decided the fate of the universe.'s archives conferred on the wider catalogue and stood as part of the formal record by which the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. of subsequent eras understood the wildlife of their pre-cataclysm and post-cataclysm world.

Place in the encyclopedic record#

Beyond BIONICLE: Rahi BeastsBIONICLE Reference BooksSix Scholastic and AMEET reference titles published between 2003 and 2009 form the primary printed canon for the Matoran Universe. This page catalogs what each book contains and where the editions diverge., the Waikiru's name appeared in the alphabetical indices of the BIONICLE: EncyclopediaBIONICLE Reference BooksSix Scholastic and AMEET reference titles published between 2003 and 2009 form the primary printed canon for the Matoran Universe. This page catalogs what each book contains and where the editions diverge. and the later BIONICLE: Encyclopedia UpdatedBIONICLE Reference BooksSix Scholastic and AMEET reference titles published between 2003 and 2009 form the primary printed canon for the Matoran Universe. This page catalogs what each book contains and where the editions diverge., the standing reference works that catalogued the named entities of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.. The species' placement in those indices, between WahiWahiThe Matoran word for region. The six Wahi of Mata Nui were the six elemental territories that made up the island before the Bohrok cleared its surface. and WairuhaWairuhaWairuha is a Toa Kaita and member of the Toa Nuva, native to Artakha, who serves as a Guardian of the Matoran. Wearing the Great Rua Nuva, Wairuha wields enhanced powers of Air, Water, and Ice alongside Enhanced Wisdom, and carries the Air Katana and Aqua Axes. in the alphabetical sequence, recorded the Waikiru among the catalogued entities of the universe. Its entry confirmed the species' status as part of the established fauna of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. and ensured that the walrus-like coastal RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. of Ga-WahiGa-WahiGa-Wahi was a region situated to the east on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by Ga-Matoran and various Rahi. The region once fell under the domain of Teridax, though that connection did not endure. Ga-Wahi no longer existed in later records. retained their place in the in-universe record alongside the more often discussed RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. of the Water regions, TarakavaTarakavaHuge lizard-like Rahi with powerful forelegs, hunted in pairs across Mata Nui and Metru Nui. and TakeaTakeaEngineered by the Makuta from viruses and protodermis, the Takea served as Pridak's shock troops in the Pit and as one of the deep ocean's most feared Rahi species. among them.