Woah, has it really been nine months since I last updated!?
Time sure flies. I’ve mostly been spending my free time writing, but today I really, really felt like Machining for a bit. The creatures below are some of the monsters I’ve been detailing for my rpg project.
Freshwater Siren
These large predators anchor themselves to the bottoms of murky lakes or rivers from which they use their up to 13 meters long tentacles to attract, grab and pull in prey. The shape of the lure depends on the individual specimen’s most common type of prey, and can change over time along with new eating habits.
Freshwater SirensĀ are most commonly found in tropical and subtropical zones, but have also been spotted in the deeper rivers of continental Europe and in the North American Great Lakes.
Hermit Squid
The Hermit Squid isĀ a slow moving amorphousĀ omnivore. They haveĀ no natural predators, but since their soft and brightly coloured bodies are highly vulnerable to damage they tend to hide in empty containers which they then bring along with them. When the mobile hiding place is outgrown it is abondoned in favor of one of appropriate size. The largest specimen was discovered when a 250 gallon wine cask seemingly walked through the streets of Nanjing by its own power, causing great commotion.
While not aggressive towards humans a Hermit Squid may, if threatened, secrete a fast-acting neurotoxin that, when in contact with skin, causes extreme pain, nausea, paralysis and in extreme cases temporary unconsciousness or respiratory failure.
Hermit Squid can be found in damp areas worldwide, but are especially common in Eastern Asia, where they have recently become quite popular as exotic pets since they are playful and surprisingly intelligent creatures.
Strigoi Crab
This highly dangerous predator is luckily only found in remote parts central Africa. The adult femaleĀ typically has a legspan of two and a half feet, but much larger specimens have been documented. The male is much smaller, only reaching a legspan of four to six inches. After mating the male dies and is consumed by the female who, after laying her eggs, ambushes a large prey and injects a coma inducing venomĀ into it. Once the victim hasĀ lost consciousnessĀ it is dragged to the Strigoi’s lair where it is tapped for blood over the course of several days until death occures. Once the eggs hatch the mother Strigoi feeds its young the saved up blood until they are large enough to hunt on their own.
Strigoi Crabs normally live solitary lives, but they have been known hunt in groups in order to bring down prey as large as bush elephants.
And on that lovely note I’ll leave you, for now. Thanks for reading!
