Ground Swimmer

Ground Swimmers are small bulky arthropods that have a common behavior of swimming near the ground, where their main food source resides. They defend themselves by swimming fast, and by having an extraordinarily hard shell, and if desperate, they can use their dexterous arms to stab their opponent in the eyes in the hopes they will leave them alone. These arms are less used for manipulating their environment, and more for feeding and self defense in this manner.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Ground Crawler has a round body with a fluked tail, containing multiple armored segments across the whole body. Its head is round with six small eyes on the front end, above large feeding appendages. Near its head are several thin arms not stiffened by exoskeletal armor, which aid in feeding and self defense. On the creature's underside are several small limbs with bristles on the sides, made to move up and down to shift the seabed.

Biological Traits

Male individuals will generally have larger bodies, as well as small serrations on their limbs to help them dig easier, a feature used when attempting to court a potential partner.

Genetics and Reproduction

Ground Swimmers mate in only scant instances, but when they do mate, there is normally a frenzy of males all competing for the same female. The males often begin by drawing patterns in sandy areas with their bristled limbs, waiting for the female's approval of whose is best. Once one is chosen, the others will inevitably chase after the pair to attempt to mate with the female, while the two have to attempt to escape. Once they outswim the crowd, they will make a nest out of discarded plant material and bark, and lay their batch of eggs inside. 

Growth Rate & Stages

When these creatures first hatch, they have to crawl on the ground using their small limbs. Their arms only start growing after they've initially hatched, and at first they will be short and largely useless. For a long amount of time the young will feed off various plankton species that live in the seabed, practicing using their arms to do so, as well as occasionally helping their siblings. The entire time they are in development, their parents will swim above to protect them until they've grown large enough. As adults, their tails will become much more effective for swimming, and they will leave their family at once to search for more plentiful meals.

Ecology and Habitats

Ground Swimmers are found living in the Pits, and swim fairly close to the ground where their main food source lives. They can be seen occasionally digging through the sandy areas to find even more small creatures to feed off of, or clearing debris out of a potential feeding area with their arms. They mostly travel alone, only forming groups with each other during their breeding season.

Dietary Needs and Habits

While Ground Swimmers can eat Spiralwoods, their preferred source of food is a special type of chemosynthetic plankton that lives inside the ground. When this species encounters a particularly sandy area on the ground, they will use their bristled limbs to stir up the sand, and thus stirring up the plankton that lives inside. When they encounter a large gathering of the plankton, they will wave their arms forward, emitting a scent designed to attract the plankton towards their mouths. These creatures also use their arms to pick off small pieces of Spiralwood leaves they can swallow.

Biological Cycle

Sometimes, their bristled limbs will gather bits of algae from the sea floor on them, which can stay stuck almost indefinitely. The only time Ground Swimmers will clean it off is when they are using them to feed off of plankton.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Ground Swimmers mainly rely on their sense of sight to perceive their surroundings, with minimal use of hearing. Their sense of smell is fairly useful as well, but can only pick up faint scents.

Scientific Name

Alalcomenaeus edafos

Lifespan

Unknown

Average Weight

260 lbs.

Average Length

5 ft.

Average Physique

Round

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Dull orange shell, red limbs

Geographic Distribution

• The Halocline Pits

Average Intelligence
Average