Sand Crawler

The Sand Crawler is a small filter-feeding arthropod living and burrowing in the sand, not to be confused with the Sand Stalker. They are often very friendly towards one another despite competition in their habitat, and they are most often to hide from a threat, almost completely burying themselves in the ground, and squeezing their feeding arms into a cone shape to stay hidden.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Sand Crawler has a short, compact body covered in smooth armored segments. Their heads are round, with four eyes and four giant appendages sticking out of the front, containing bristles for filter feeding from the surrounding waters. Underneath its body segments lie its small but numerous legs, the front two having large paddles for burrowing into the sand.

Biological Traits

Male Sand Crawlers have small serrations on the outsides of their feeding arms, thought to be used for making markings in the sand.

Genetics and Reproduction

When the time is right, male members of this species will drag their feeding arms through the sand, and create semi-artistic patterns for another Sand Crawler to gaze at. These patterns are also laced with scents to help the with the Sand Crawlers' poor sight. Females will look at these and choose mates based on how elaborate the patterns are, showing the male's control over his feeding arms. These creatures lay their eggs in a small den underneath the sand, and the parents will constantly watch them to ensure they are not uncovered.

Growth Rate & Stages

When these arthropods first hatch, they are left by themselves to figure out how to dig through the sand, and they will retain that knowledge for the rest of their lives. In youth, they are often very close to one another, sometimes playing with each other with their feeding appendages. If a predator threatens the family, the parents will often aim to run around and distract it while the young stay hidden in the sand, which can result in their deaths. Either way, the young will still have to learn to live on their own very early on, able to survive by filter feeding plankton. After they get accustomed to it, their lives won't change much in adulthood.

Ecology and Habitats

Sand Crawlers live in the Dunes, and spend their entire lives on the ground, either traveling in search of good feeding areas, or digging burrows to rest in. They can frequently be found half-buried in the sand to camouflage themselves, or making markings in the sand to attract a mate.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Sand Crawlers are filter feeders, and eat a type of chemosynthetic plankton that is virtually the only one of its kind in the Dunes. They will travel great lengths to find dense populations of this plankton, having higher stamina than most creatures its size. When feeding, they will stand still, tilting their head slightly up, and splaying their feeding arms outward to catch the most amount of food possible.

Additional Information

Social Structure

While these creatures do interact positively with each other, they rarely gather in large groups to survive, able to do so just fine on their own. However, there have been scant records of Sand Crawlers being particularly social with others of their kind, not just to attract mates. They have mostly been seen in a period of rest with each other, but other times they have helped each other survive a predator attack.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Its eyes are small and rather weak, and this creature mostly relies on smell and hearing to get around, especially when burrowing into the sand for cover. They can also keenly sense food with the bristles on their fontal appendages.

Scientific Name

Ammorpeto harenae

Lifespan

Unknown

Average Weight

110 lbs.

Average Length

4 ft.

Average Physique

Bulky

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Red-orange and dull white shell, yellow eyes

Geographic Distribution

• The Arid Dunes

Average Intelligence
Fairly low