Krempto Swarm ((Ker-empt-to))

Basic Information

Anatomy

At first glance one might mistake a krempto for being a cluster of barnacles growing around an underwater sea vent, or something along those lines. However, a poor victim who strays too close will soon realize that they are actually sensory organs growing around the eye of this hungry little creature. It is easy to mistake this side of a krempto for being a shell of sorts, but it is actually incredibly squishy and flexible, often being just as soft as the side that tends to lay on rocks or shelves along the seafloor. The other side of the krempto sports very powerful vents and razor sharp legs, both of which it uses to jet itself around in the water at incredible speeds to dice up its prey and consume them.

Genetics and Reproduction

Krempto tend to remain very close to the swarm they are born within, and thus have a tendency to breed with one another as opposed to breeding with ones from outside the swarm--though the merging of swarms is not impossible. Krempto tend to live only for a month, and thus breed very frequently, laying eggs where they rest while searching for prey. This period lasts for about a few days before the eggs hatch into more krempto.

Growth Rate & Stages

From birth the krempto seek out small fish to immediately begin feasting and growing, a process which takes them about a week in total. Growing with each fish consumed by this new krempto swarm, they will move on to larger and larger prey until they are more than capable of taking down massive creatures such as sharks. By week two they are already looking to create more krempto, the process starting anew.

Ecology and Habitats

These alien creatures prefer salt water habitats and are most commonly found around the surface. However, there is no real limitation for what depth they can be found at. They have been seen within the dark depths of the deep sea, their eyes shining like stars down in the void, just as often as they have been seen near the surface. Where there is prey, they will hunt since their squishy bodies are resilient to most water pressures.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Kremptos are mostly carnivorous, but are truthfully omnivores. They will eat anything if it is necessary, and can be seen nibbling away at kelp and seaweed. They simply prefer the meat of fish, and whatever else they manage to find swimming around in the ocean. Their swarm tactic is built around this preference for larger prey that can not withstand a swarm of hundreds of krempto at once.

Behaviour

Krempto are vicious creatures that remain still at rest against the rocky shelves of the sea floor, waiting for passing creatures to swim close enough for the swarm to become active. Once a krempto swarm detects potential prey, it will jet out at incredibly high speeds to begin immediately swarming the prey and tearing them apart to the bone with no mercy. It only takes about a minute for a creature to be completely consumed by the krempto, who will then return to their hiding spot and close their eyes to digest their prey. The krempto have very little mercy. Once they are active there is little any creature can do to save itself outside of simply being faster than the swarm or having flesh stronger than their limbs are capable of cutting into.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

Aside from their singular, glowing, green eye, they have nothing that defines their face, which makes them perfect for camouflaging with the environment they decide to hunt in. More often than not they are mistaken for barnacles, or other sea flora that grows on sea shelves. They do all tend to look the same however, so if one were to see a multitude of these "growths" that have a glowing green spot in the middle, it's almost always a krempto swarm at rest.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

They have a modest distribution across the ocean of their homeworld due to both being somewhere in the middle as far as predator and prey are concerned. They are eaten as much as they eat, and thus they have a relative commonality to them that makes them dangerous, but not overly abundant either.

Average Intelligence

Krempto are not known for possessing any intelligence. They react to the signals given to them from where they are facing, and quickly consume the prey just to return to their initial positions. Aside from swarm tactics, they do not have any real capacity to think, and simply feast on the denizens of the ocean.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The krempto uses two methods of detecting potential prey. They have their singular glowing eye which watches the waters above them, and they also have motion sensing receptors all across their backs which is how they feel vibrations in the water, even when they can't actively see the prey.

Lifespan

1-1 1/2 months

Average Height

3 inch

Average Length

8 inch

Average Physique

Despite the vicious and incredibly dangerous nature of the creature, they actually are extremely weak. Against a couple krempto most creatures that have the capacity to defend themselves would probably win due to how squishy krempto actually are, making them pretty weak to most attacks. This is why they rely heavily on swarm tactics, since even a powerful creature would structure to kill hundreds of krempto wrapping around them and tearing them apart.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

As far as body color is concerned they have a very grayish-black tint to their skin while the receptors across their back and around their eyes are a gray-white. This color doesn't change very much between krempto, giving them all a very similar look which makes them very hard to distinguish between the others. It is more down to their shape which defines them much more from the other members of the swarm.