Steccs
Steccs are small-to-medium-sized creatures that occupy the sand of the Erg. In Earth terms, they closely resemble large crabs. Some are smaller and bigger than others, but most are about the size of a car tire. Their abundance on Unos has earned them the reputation of "desert mascot".
Basic Information
Anatomy
Steccs have a fairly round body, protected by an extremely tough shell. They have a small head in the front of the body that can retract into this shell as a clear membrane shuts behind it, to protect its face while in the sand. At the back of the body is a smaller opening protected by a membrane, protecting a cloaca. There are eight legs located on the "bottom" of the body. Two arms extend from either side, usually forward-facing, with large and powerful claws on either end.
The shell is often a deep red color, while the inner skin (face, appendages, etc.) is usually a pale green. It's suspected that the lack of exposure to sunlight creates this green effect, but nobody knows for sure. The bottom of the shell is often a lighter red, and can sometimes be white.
Genetics and Reproduction
Steccs mate annually. A male and female will perform an intricate motion within the sand, which functions as a beacon to the opposite sex. They'll continue to perform this motion while moving towards the nearest signal it detects, until a meeting occurs and mating begins. The male will fertilize a clutch of eggs within a female, and the female will carry this clutch until it's ready to hatch, usually about a week. Afterwards, the female will lay this clutch, and an average 10-15 steccs will be born.
Based on habits of steccs in captivity, scientists know that babies stay with their mother for at least a month before becoming independant. However, it's theorized that female steccs build nests deep within the sand, and the lack of land-based motor skills in captive-born steccs is further evidence of this. Since technology is unable to get into the sand that far, at least without cooking anything inside a nemal shell almost immediately, there is no way to prove that stecc nests exist.
Growth Rate & Stages
Baby - At birth, steccs have a very soft shell, much like skin. It's green, like the rest of their body. Their legs aren't developed very well, and they cannot run. They cannot extend their heads yet either, as they seem to not yet know they even can.
Adolescent - Once about two days old, a stecc grows to about half the size it's going to be. The shell is still soft and green, but their legs are far more developed and they're able to extend their heads now. Presumably, watching their mother teaches them.
Mature - After a week, a stecc has taken on its full size and a hardened shell. It's not quite deep-red yet, nor is it fully solid. Their legs are done growing, and they're pushing and pulling their heads out as though it were a form of breathing. (This is an expression; steccs do not breathe by extending/retracting their heads.)
Adult - After another week, a stecc's shell is now solid and deep red, from sun exposure and sand touch. They're fully independant now, and shall be for another 10 years.
Elder - Once reaching about 9 years old, steccs begin to slow down tremendously and show cracks and chips in their shells. Their legs also often give out, leading to immobility in many cases. They tend to die around the age of 10 years.
Ecology and Habitats
Steccs are sand-dwellers. They are able to survive not just on the erg sands, but within them. There's very little data on how steccs live their daily life, since properly cataloguing anything underneath the sand is impossible. Most data comes from simulations on captive specimens, and prospector's notes from mining jobs.
What is known, is that they are able to "swim" in the sand. They don't need to be doing so constantly, nor are they subjected to the same physical limitations of water which means that they can stop just as easily as they can start.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Based on tests and simulations, steccs are primarily herbivorous. However, they are not adverse to carnivorous behaviour if necessary. Studies show that a starving stecc will eat meat if no other options present themselves.
Additional Information
Social Structure
"Sorry, kids, but real steccs don't act like WarClaw ones - they ALL hate eachother!"- an educator, to her class of children Steccs are lonely creatures, and often exist by themselves. Only through the mating process do they express desire to meet other steccs, but that's only one known instance. They don't mate for life, and as such a stecc returns to loneliness after coupling. When meeting by accident, it's not uncommon for two steccs of the same gender to engage in combat against one another.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Steccs are a scientific gold mine. Their ability to survive in hotsand has perplexed and fascinated scientists for millennia. Eventually it was discovered that their blood is highly resistant to heat, and is now a common ingredient in coolant. Their meat is also succulent and keeps well in the heat, making it a common snack while erg-traveling.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Universal - they can be found anywhere you can find hotsand.
Average Intelligence
They're very survival-focused, and seem to be able to actively avoid danger wherever it may exist. Some reports exist of steccs picking up and using objects as tools, but no scientific proof of such events suggests intelligence. Mostly, it can be construed as coincidence that a stecc closed its claw around a given object.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
"It's like the things can see you without even lookin' at you!"- from "The Prettiest Girl I've Never Seen", a romantic comedy biography book Steccs are capable of wave-based navigation, at least in theory. This would explain how they're able to navigate inside sand, at least. It also explains how they're able to physically locate mates. Their eyes are tiny, and only usable on the surface. Even then, they can't see very well.
Scientific Name
Crustacean
Lifespan
10 years
Average Height
8 - 10 inches
Average Weight
60 - 80 lbs.
Average Length
1.6 - 2 feet
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Pale green at birth, typically aa deep red with light red on the botton into adulthood.
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