Mammoth Neji

The Mammoth Neji is a species of crustacean found only in the swamps of the Whispering Madness. They are commonly used by Jianro to traverse the swamps, as the massive neji can travel equally well over land and through the water, which is necessary in the sucking mud of the Madness. They are popular livestock, as they shed parts of their armored plating that can be used to make a nutritious stock for soups, and a single egg is big enough to feed a family for a day or more.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Mammoth neji are just like their tiny cousins in most ways. They have twenty eight legs under their long bodies that move in a wavelike motion to carry the creature, much like a millipede. The body of a mammoth neji is twenty-one feet long and stands about five feet tall. It's heavy armored shell covers it's legs nearly completely like a 'dress', as it is sometimes called. The shell is segmented twelve times at equal distances, allowing it to curl up while sleeping or to defend itself. The shrimplike head is a ruddy green, with four tentacles hanging down from it's mouth. The tentacles are fully prehensile and capable of manipulating delicate objects without breaking them. It's two main eyes protrude from snaillike stalks that can retract, and it's two side eyes can't move, simple black dots on either side of it's mouth. The primary identifier of a neji over it's crawfish cousins are the four arms extending from it's torso, ending in heavy claws. Mammoth nejis differ from the less common dire neji in that they have a a less curved topshell.

Growth Rate & Stages

Mammoth nejis lay batches of twelve eggs. When they hatch, they are about the size of a small dog and make somewhat popular pets among Jianro children. It takes ten years for a mammoth neji to reach its full size, growing by a steady steady two feet long per year and proportionally taller and wider. There is no difference, visually or morphologically, between a larval neji and an adult.

Ecology and Habitats

Nejis inhabit muddy pools, and their mammoth counterparts are no different. In the wild, mammoth nejis live exclusively in the deepest parts of the Whispering Madness, venturing from the sinkholes only to mate and hunt for prey, of which they will eat anything smaller than them but they prefer reptiles, with swamp caimans being a particular favorite.

Lifespan

180 years