Beasts from Above

The beings who can live outside of The Pit,
Those who break the No flying in The Pit rule,
Those filled with a substance that doesn't exist.

It is theorized that the holey layout of the layers of The Surface is thanks to the Beasts from Above. They often show up digging another hole in the ceiling of the layer above and attacking the closest moving thing hoping that it is something to eat.
People of the Surface learned to hunt down these creatures for their meat and valuable parts, such as their carapaces, legs, venom or the oil they are covered with. That oil lets the Beasts from Above fly around in the full sun without any consequences.
The Beasts show up so often, that if the People of the Surface didn't hunt them regularly, all of the Pit would probably be infested by them by now.
It is unknown if they can fly thanks to some mysterious gas or some kind of magic they store in their gas bladders. Even when captured alive, researchers couldn't identify what lets them swim in the air. The tests detecting Elements in the air and in the creatures themselves didn't find any Element coming from them.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Beasts from Above are big, flying centipedes. They are almost completely flat in their structure.
They have more of two black spots rather than any kind of complex eye.
Their body consists of segments joined one after another, each with two legs growing on both sides of its bodies.
Their heads end with elongated mandibles capable of biting and injecting their prey with venom. That venom is capable of killing an elephant in a matter of minutes.
Both their legs and carapace are made out of the material that is surprisingly light and durable. Their underside is covered with transparent spherical growths. Those growths are called gas bladders as they inflate when the insect tries to start to fly and deflate when they land.

Genetics and Reproduction

Their mating dance has never been observed.
From the autopsies of both male and female specimens, it is easy to conclude that the Beasts from Above can reproduce the same way as the members of the Chilopoda class.
The male leaves the spermatophore that the female has to find.
After she does so, she will lay around 20 eggs.

Growth Rate & Stages

Their growth hasn't been observed yet.

Dietary Needs and Habits

They feed mostly on the meat but can digest almost any biological matter.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Usually, they are loner creatures, but once in a while, a group of up to 7 of them can show up.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Their meat is edible but chewy and bland. It is a little sweet in its taste and it smells like sand.
Their hard legs and carapace can be used in the creation of strong armors and weapons.
While their gas bladders lose anything they had inside once the creature is dead, they can be used to store the water.
Anyone who wants to travel through the higher layers of the Surface needs to buy the oils coming from those beings and grease their clothes with them if they do not want to burst into flames the moment the ray of the sun touches them.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

They are from the territory humans cannot reach.

Average Intelligence

They are only smart enough to eat anything that moves in front of them. If they cannot reach their food, they will try to dig to it. They don't give up on their prey.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

They can sense the movement and if they stop flying they can sense the vibrations of the ground they stand on.

Lifespan

Unknown

Average Height

2 meters

Average Weight

Surprisingly light for their size.

Average Length

10 meters and up (largest hunted was 30 meters long)

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Their carapace has a color of the light beach sand, while their legs and mandibles can vary in the color between red and dark orange. Their gas bladders are transparent with a slight yellow tinge.
The bigger ones sometimes have black stripes on their backs.