Sand Worm

Basic Information

Anatomy

Sand worms are basically just giant earth worms. Newborns tend to be about human sized, while the oldest creature on record is about the girth of one jumbo jet and the length of four. Their bodies are squishy and pliable, allowing for ease of movement through the earth. Their bodies produce a slimy, faintly iridescent film that smooths and hardens the earth it touches, which forms the legendary tunnels where the creatures live. The creatures have circular rows and rows of sharp teeth in their gaping maws to tear apart anything they can't simply swallow whole. But the most interesting biological feature of these monstrosities is their stomach acid, which quickly petrifies anything they eat before they excrete it.

Genetics and Reproduction

Sand worms are asexual beings. They reproduce by building up excess flesh in their tails for a few years and waiting for the thing to fall off as a fully-formed fledgling worm. They can only reproduce until they reach approximately school-bus size when the process fails because their bodies require too much food to grow themselves, let alone create a new creature.

Growth Rate & Stages

Fortunately, sand worms grow at an incredibly slow rate. It takes about five years for an adult worm to grow just one offspring. After that, it take about twenty years for the young worm to grow to maturity (about the size of a minivan), then another thirty years to become school-bus sized (and thus too old to reproduce). However, the creatures never stop growing and have never been known to die of natural causes. The largest known worm is said to be about three hundred years old.

Ecology and Habitats

These worms can eat almost anything, and so can survive almost anywhere. However, these creatures stay in the wastes and eat mostly sand when they aren't hibernating and there isn't tastier food around.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Since the worms can eat most anything, they survive off a diet of mostly sand. The freshly grown worms often eat the petrified droppings of the larger worms while the larger worms hunt the nearby areas for foolish creatures that wander too close.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

While worm corpses can fetch a hefty bounty, depending on size, the true treasures are the petrified worm droppings. It is amazing what artifacts can be found in the worm tunnels, from petrified human corpses to fully intact vehicles that have gone through the digestive process.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Sand worms have no eyes, but their sense of touch is so precise that they don't need them. A full grown worm can feel the tremors of human feet, for example, up to approximately 100 yards away.

Civilization and Culture

History

The sand worms began as a weapon slung at the West by... someone. It is unclear who created these monsters, but they are believed to be mutated Mongolian death worms. After devouring the cities they were dropped in, the worms settled down and ate anything that crossed their path for the next centuries to come.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

These worms begin life a translucent white, but get redder over time. The oldest worm is a deep, blood red.

Geographic Distribution

• Sand Worm Wastes