Nappan

An exceptionally large scorpion like creature, approximately the size of a small dog. It is rare as it is considered both a pest and dangerous.

Basic Information

Anatomy

A scorpion as large as a small dog with a fat yellow tail. The scales are extremely hard to pierce and it has only two weak points, the belly scales and the scales at the base of the tail.

Genetics and Reproduction

The female will eat the svamma mushroom to enable fertilization. Once ingested, she begins to ovalute and "dances" in a vibration pattern that attracts wandering males. Males begin courtship by moving their bodies back and forth, without moving the legs, a behavior known as juddering. The pair then make contact using their pincers, and perform a "dance" called the promenade à deux. In this dance, the male and female move backwards and forwards while facing each other, as the male searches for a suitable place to deposit his spermatophore. The courtship ritual can involve several other behaviors such as a cheliceral kiss, in which the male and female grasp each other's mouth-parts, arbre droit where the partners elevate their posteriors and rub their tails together, and sexual stinging, in which the male stings the female in the chelae or mesosoma to subdue her. This dance continues until the male has found a rocky ground to deposit his spermatophore. Once deposited, he guides the female over it. This allows the spermatophore to enter her genital opercula, which triggers release of the sperm, thus fertilizing the female. A mating plug then forms in the female to prevent her from mating again before the young are born. The mating pair abruptly seperate and continue on their seperate ways.

Growth Rate & Stages

The embryos develop in yolk-rich eggs inside follicles and the female gives live birth. Before giving birth, the female elevates the front of her body and positions her pedipalps and front legs under her to catch the young ("birth basket"). The young emerge one by one from the genital opercula, expel the embryonic membrane, if any, and are placed on the mother's back where they remain until they have molted once. This is generally a period of 2 weeks. The mother feeds the juvenails during this period. After the first molt, the young will leave the mother's back to hunt for themselves, returning if they sense danger after their second molt, a further period of 2 weeks. After their second molt, their scales are hard and they leave the mother, never to return.

Ecology and Habitats

The fertile plains of the Blutben pennisula.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Requires the svamma mushroom to breed.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

It can track movement through vibrations.

Scientific Name

Insect

Lifespan

12 years

Average Height

30 cms

Average Weight

8 kgs

Average Length

1.2 m