Pinnaepals are the domesticated subspecies of the Crystalline Seal; the main difference between them structurally is that pinnaepals tend toward rounder bodies and shorter "baby-like" muzzles.

The defining characteristic of the species is their "gems"; these are closer in structure to sacs containing bioluminescent microbes, although they're fairly firm to touch, with very little give. These gems are used both for communication underwater and to dazzle dark-water prey. The primary gem on the forehead is the only one with universal placement among the species; the other gems are smaller and more randomly distributed, although they're more common on the ventral (belly) side and the front of the seals. The gems light up when the seal "feeds" their little buddies magic (although you can't teach a seal anything more complex than that; people have tried and found that the seal mostly just mugs them for the fish).

Crystalline seals primarily hunt fish, although they have been known to attack Fishers and other large vertebrates. They're highly social and live in groups of over 500, although they hunt alone and are highly aggressive toward any seal they do not recognize. Their head signals are very simple and usually used to solve conflicts over hunting waters without actually fighting (the seal with the brightest gem flash wins) or warning of danger, in the same manner as a deer's tail.

Pinnaepals are more tolerant of hunting with other seals and are generally less aggressive in general, although they are still big chunky seals and play could mean getting a bit squished.

Fishers typically use pinnaepals to help with hunting; the seals chase fish into traps (or, more rarely, nets), and some particularly clever seals can focus on getting only larger fish into the trap/net. They can also signal to their owner warnings about other large carnivores. Besides that, they're common companions in places that can support them; some days you can't go three feet without seeing a fat seal in a sweater.

There are three major breeds of pinnaepal: Wild-type, Fancy, and Fuzzy (or "baby monstrosity", according to some Fishers)

Wild-type pinnaepals are very similar to their wild ancestors: they're strictly a mottled grey with pale blue gems. Wild-types generally do not have patterns form in their gems' placement. They are also, visually, easily mistaken for a crystalline seal and conflict has come up due to that similarity in settlements where crystalline seal predation is an issue.

Fancy pinnaepals are the most common kind seen as a pet (rather than a working animal). They come in a wide range of colors, although it's most common for hide colors to be cool and slightly desaturated, and intensive breeding programs have lead to some lines having their gems make various patterns. They tend to be smaller and rounder than wild-types, although they have similar muzzles.

Fuzzy pinnaepals are a mistakepolarizing; these pinnaepals have been breed to resemble baby seals their entire lives. They never permanently shed the dense fuzz of a newborn (although it falls out during molt, it comes back just as long), and they have much shorter muzzles than the other breeds. They're often much smaller than the other breeds as adults, and their communication and hunting is hampered by the fur partially or completely obscuring their gems. Still, they have fewer health issues than would be expected from such extreme linebreeding.

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