Desertcrawlers
Fish in the sand.
A desertcrawler, also called haframil (lit. sand-wader) or yursharamil (lit. sand-guide) in Al Raami, is an insectoid creature found in the deserts of Ni'Hel. They are most easily described as a very large type of beetle that is commonly used by the people of Al Ramalwhil to quickly transport themselves across the desert because of the creature's capability to quickly scurry in the sand as if it were a fish in a stream. Its most distinctive features are its angled head and retractable mandibles, which are thought to aid greatly in its movement through sandy terrain.
Desertcrawlers are a staple of Al Raami culture and are oftentimes represented as gifts from the One God, leading to depictions of these creatures oftentimes being divine or powerful in nature. They are also under the protection of the Lord of Sand and Wind because of their importance to the nation's economy, with sentences against individuals who harm these creatures being as severe as death.
Desertcrawlers are a staple of Al Raami culture and are oftentimes represented as gifts from the One God, leading to depictions of these creatures oftentimes being divine or powerful in nature. They are also under the protection of the Lord of Sand and Wind because of their importance to the nation's economy, with sentences against individuals who harm these creatures being as severe as death.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Desertcrawlers are large, insectoid creatures that walk on six legs when above the sand they dwell in, each of which has non-retractable claws attached to its endpoint. These legs are connected to a central torso, which houses most of the desertcrawler's organs. Its torso, head, mandibles and abdomen are cover with a hard outer skeleton, which protects it from friction burns caused by going too fast when in the sand. Its head is angular, allowing for quicker movement when within the sand, while also permitting the mandibles to retract when not being used for movement. Two long, crooked, retractable antennae protrude from the creatures' skull.
Contrary to its smaller look-alikes, the 'crawlers have an internal bone structure that allows them to withstand the force of pushing through heaps of sand on a daily basis. However, these bones are thin and are probably a result of the outer skeleton sinking into the desertcrawlers' uppermost 'skin' as a form of environmental adaptation rather than them being ossified matter as presented by vertebrate species.
The desertcrawler's most prominent feature is its retractable mandibles, which it uses to intimidate other 'crawlers or potential predators, to crush its food and to smash rocks when crawling underground. It is believed that the mandibles also secrete some form of acid that aids in their movement process, as many desertcrawler riders have found burns in their hands after treating a wounded 'crawler.
Its abdomen sports a stinger, no longer than an inch in size.
Contrary to its smaller look-alikes, the 'crawlers have an internal bone structure that allows them to withstand the force of pushing through heaps of sand on a daily basis. However, these bones are thin and are probably a result of the outer skeleton sinking into the desertcrawlers' uppermost 'skin' as a form of environmental adaptation rather than them being ossified matter as presented by vertebrate species.
The desertcrawler's most prominent feature is its retractable mandibles, which it uses to intimidate other 'crawlers or potential predators, to crush its food and to smash rocks when crawling underground. It is believed that the mandibles also secrete some form of acid that aids in their movement process, as many desertcrawler riders have found burns in their hands after treating a wounded 'crawler.
Its abdomen sports a stinger, no longer than an inch in size.
Biological Traits
Desertcrawlers exhibit a pronounced sexual dimorphism, which facilitates separating males from females at a glance. Males are oftentimes larger, with great mandibles and a darker shell coloring. Females, on the other hand, are far smaller and posses almost no mandibles, with their shells being prized due to their shells being a lighter black with colors that seem to shift depending on the angle it is viewed in. Also worth noting is that the females have their torso separated in two halves, while the males have only one central body. It is believed that this comes from the fact that an anestor of the desertcrawler had wings, although it is not fully understood why only the female specimens showcase this trait.
Genetics and Reproduction
Desertcrawlers reproduce through copulation. A male 'crawler will seek a female one and inseminate it, leaving once the process is done. The female will then enter a period of gestation, eating as much as it can while saving up its energy. This period will oftentimes last two to three weeks. After this time has elapsed, the female lays its eggs, normally between two and six, and begins stockpiling food for its offspring. Eggs normally hatch after sixteen days, but have been observed to take up to three and a half weeks before opening.
Growth Rate & Stages
Once born, desertcrawlers will live for up to five months in a larval state. Being too weak to fend for itself, its mother will bring food to their nest. At this stage in their life, the desertcrawlers are not yet strong enough to move through sand or crush rock with their mandibles. This comes after after it entombs itself within a chrysalis for nearly half a year. There is no study or record that accurately shows what occurs during this transition stage.
After its deathly stillness, an adult desertcrawler bursts from its infant husk, nearly starved to death and willing to eat whatever comes by it. At this point, it extends its mandibles for the first time and begins to eat the sand around it, searching for rocks in particular. It is believed that the hunger experienced during the transitional stage never truly abides, eventually leading to its use as a transport animal.
After its deathly stillness, an adult desertcrawler bursts from its infant husk, nearly starved to death and willing to eat whatever comes by it. At this point, it extends its mandibles for the first time and begins to eat the sand around it, searching for rocks in particular. It is believed that the hunger experienced during the transitional stage never truly abides, eventually leading to its use as a transport animal.
Ecology and Habitats
As the name suggests, desertcrawlers find most comfort within the deserts of Ni'Hel. Because of their diest, the desert provides ample feeding grounds for these creatures during the entirety of the year, including during the Last Respite, the world's dark fifth season. Disoriented 'crawlers will normally end up in forests or beaches near the desert, dying if they cannot find their way back.
Because desertcrawlers are such nimble and nomadic creatures, they are bound to interact with the other denizens of the deserts. This interaction can be reduced to an initial intimidation attempt on behalf of the 'crawler, using its mandibles and raising its two foremost legs in order to appear a size larger than it actually is. If the predator is not dissuaded, a desertcrawler will usually turn stinger and flee.
Because desertcrawlers are such nimble and nomadic creatures, they are bound to interact with the other denizens of the deserts. This interaction can be reduced to an initial intimidation attempt on behalf of the 'crawler, using its mandibles and raising its two foremost legs in order to appear a size larger than it actually is. If the predator is not dissuaded, a desertcrawler will usually turn stinger and flee.
Dietary Needs and Habits
The desertcrawler's diet is, perhaps, one of its most outstanding characteristics. The creature subsides on a diet of sand, rocks, dead leaves and small animals, using its mandibles to crush the rocks and the secreted liquid to dissolve the organic matter before consuming it. A desertcrawler is opportunistic, preferring to eat while it opens its way through the desert instead of hunting or actively looking for its food. The phrase 'as lazy as a hungry desertcrawler' refers to this phenomenon.
Biological Cycle
Because of the mostly unchanging nature of the deserts in which they live in, desertcrawlers only concern themselves with mating season. However, it has been observed that desertcrawlers behave erratically during Last respite, usually acting in the way they do when 'predicting' a coming storm and feverishly digging holes for any aspiring mother to lay its eggs in.
Additional Information
Domestication
Desertcrawlers have been domesticated since the start of Al Ramalwhil's history, or near enough to its beginning to make no difference. Though the name of the first person to ride a desertcrawler has been lost to time, it has been proven time and again that domesticated desertcrawlers are far more docile than their feral counterparts. Additionally, recent reports have suggested that the retractable mandibles are growing larger as more and more generations of 'crawlers are born in captivity.
The process of domesticating a desertcrawler begins with a lure, usually rock or some form of mineral sediment. Once the 'crawler appears, the tamer must jump onto its carapace and rein it in as one would a horse. The difference with that process lies in that the reins have been laced with pheromones from the sex opposite to the lured 'crawler, inducing a state of relaxation but heightened aggression. During this process, a 'crawler will always extend its mandibles. As the desertcrawler calms down, the rider settles down, being careful not to alert the now-docile 'crawler, and slowly fastens another set of reins to the creature's mandibles, clamping them down as gently as is possible.
If the captured creature is a female, it will be led into a village, where it will be used for breeding purposes, keeping it docile with male pheromones until it acclimates to its pen. If it is a male, it has to possible destinies: the breeding pens or the open desert, where it will be used as a riding creature.
The process of domesticating a desertcrawler begins with a lure, usually rock or some form of mineral sediment. Once the 'crawler appears, the tamer must jump onto its carapace and rein it in as one would a horse. The difference with that process lies in that the reins have been laced with pheromones from the sex opposite to the lured 'crawler, inducing a state of relaxation but heightened aggression. During this process, a 'crawler will always extend its mandibles. As the desertcrawler calms down, the rider settles down, being careful not to alert the now-docile 'crawler, and slowly fastens another set of reins to the creature's mandibles, clamping them down as gently as is possible.
If the captured creature is a female, it will be led into a village, where it will be used for breeding purposes, keeping it docile with male pheromones until it acclimates to its pen. If it is a male, it has to possible destinies: the breeding pens or the open desert, where it will be used as a riding creature.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Desertcrawlers are mainly used as a means of quick transportation through the desert. Merchants also make it a habit to use them as pack animals.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Desertcrawlers are found in Ni'Hel's deserts, keeping towards areas where the winds do not blow and staying away from the desert's heart, where the heat is so great it might produce Sandsteel. Although there have been reports of desert crawlers coursing through the sands of south of the Kingdom of Crendameth, these have largely been unsubstantiated.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Desertcrawlers rely almost exclusively to sight and 'tremorsense', the capacity to locate things based on the vibrations on the ground. Their hearing capabilities are severely limited because of the lack of a proper auditory canal. Likewise, their taste is non-existent, leading to their extremely peculiar diet.
The Al Raami hold that all desertcrawlers can sense sandstorms and other weather phenomena far before they appear in the horizon, burying themselves abdomen first until only the antennae are above the surface, with most of these 'predictions' being accurate. This is such a popular belief that most towns in Al Ramalwhil will have at least three desertcrawlers that are used exclusively to predict the oncoming weather.
The Al Raami hold that all desertcrawlers can sense sandstorms and other weather phenomena far before they appear in the horizon, burying themselves abdomen first until only the antennae are above the surface, with most of these 'predictions' being accurate. This is such a popular belief that most towns in Al Ramalwhil will have at least three desertcrawlers that are used exclusively to predict the oncoming weather.
Lifespan
1 to 2 years (in the wild)
3 to 4 years (domesticated)
3 to 4 years (domesticated)
Conservation Status
The species is protected under the laws of Al Ramalwhil as an animal of great value. Harming, starving or otherwise mistreating a desertcrawler is viewed as a grave offense to kin and country, for they are a gift to the children of sand and wind from the One God and also because many people earn their money through trading. The fact of the matter is that sandcrawlers have more legal protections than the Windswept, Al Ramalwhil's caste of slaves.
Average Height
Males:
Females:
- 4.5 - 5 feet (laying down)
- 5 - 5.5 feet (on abdominal legs)
Females:
- 3.6 - 3.9 feet (laying down)
- 4.2 - 4.5 feet (on abdominal legs)
Average Weight
Males: 220 - 250 pounds.
Females:
Females:
- 160 - 200 pounds (regular season)
- 230 - 250 (mating season)
Average Length
Males: 6.0 - 6.7 feet.
Females: 5.2 - 5.6 feet.
Females: 5.2 - 5.6 feet.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
In general, male desertcrawlers have little coloring or marking to their jet black carapace. The females, however, have a more colorful shell, shifting as the eye wanders. It is believed this is used to attract mates.
It is tradition for the Al Raami to paint their desertcrawlers in accordance to their village's traditional colors while also adding a distinctive marking that separates it from the others in the same settlement. This way, owners can distinguish them should the need arise.
It is tradition for the Al Raami to paint their desertcrawlers in accordance to their village's traditional colors while also adding a distinctive marking that separates it from the others in the same settlement. This way, owners can distinguish them should the need arise.
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
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