#creature

[psalidodont]

''Common drakenlets, or oftenly known as ''Common house dragons'', ''Common garden dragons'', and ''Horrible, Nightmarish, Annoying scaly bastards that keep getting inside my house'' are small widely distributed dragons that love to being annoying. We dont like them, They're by far the most non threatening dragon out here; No venom or fangs, no spiky tails or any kind of destructive defense mechanism, and their firepower is pathetic. The only thing that makes them worthy enough to have a whole page dedicated to them is their bite, which hurts a whole lot. They're everywhere, and by the gods above i mean it.''

[twntiate]

This is so cool, I love this

Really beautiful critter

self-love/self-hate

[snowysaur]

7/15/24 support me on: patreon | kofi | redbubble

[karjalantroll]

[riddlers-left-buttcheek]

yes. all of them. slumber party ✨👐✨

[pollyhyde]

More traditional Mermay pieces from the past few years

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Nightscape Familiar

Nightscape masters prize one trait above all others: undying loyalty.

Artist: Graham Yarrington TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[natansiik]

Some Aqua redesign

[fhtagn-and-tentacles]

CORRUPT TROLL DEMON

by Russell Dongjun Lu

[shan1aaa]

Lazy+Rushed head turn animation that i made abt a month ago... experimented with the shading a bit, so it might be a little jittery!

[lunegrimm]

Fantastic full moon (wolf moon) tonight 🌕

Shapeshifter

- “I think I saw our neighbor last night… the one nobody really knows, because always sleeps throughout the entire day” -

One of my personal favorite paintings I’ve completed this year, everything just worked exactly the way I wanted which is rare 

[strangefard]

Finish this

What does this mean 😭

[thedawner]

Secret Santa on the Anathema Discord server for Martyrrd on Toyhouse!

[credus99-blog]

Aggression/ Danger to humans: Low – Low

Element/ Ailment: None

The Moss Crab or Josljësj Rhäm (Yoslyoesh Rawm), meaning “water-spider of moss” in Dhënuvgöm, is a species of Anthropod (Arthropods that have evolved internal skeletons closed, a circular system¸ andare Mesotherms). Moss Crabs are native to the first layer of the Hollows (also known as the First Hell) of the eastern continents of Atterra. They are one of several anthropod species that have successfully colonized the surface of Atterra. Moss Crabs are commonly found in moist environments where moss naturally grows throughout the east of Atterra.  These opportunistic omnivores are one of if not the most common smaller anthropods to be encountered on the surface (likely due to them preferring to spawn on the surface). While primarily eating moss, rotting wood, mushrooms, fallen fruits, and nuts, Moss Crabs are essential scavengers in the Northern forests and wetlands. Often seen gathering around carcasses with other scavengers, Moss Crabs help to pick apart and recycle calcium by crushing bone and consuming the marrow inside with their complex mouthparts. Anthropods make up many of the species native to the hollows and, like other organisms in the hollows, can see into the UV spectrum. Additionally, all anthropods possess skeletons and shells comprised of pyrite instead of hydroxyapatite and long-chain myosin fibers. These adaptations allow anthropods to identify each other with biofluorescents in the hollows and possess strength and size no arthropod will ever be able to achieve.

Unlike the pinchers of crustaceans and other arthropods, which have two digits on their claws, the Moss Crab has three pinchers on its two front claws. This extra digit allows the Moss Crab to have added dexterity when foraging and bringing food to the feeding pinchers at the Moss Crab’s mouth. The extra mobility the ‘arms’ of the Moss Crab possesses is due to the wrist joints the Moss Crab has in its claws and its ability to twist its forearm like a human’s.  These large claws are the Moss Crab’s only form of offense. Should something harass the Moss Crab (and pulling itself into an armored ball isn’t working), it will reach out with one of its three-pronged claws and clamp down with a bone-crushing grip that can easily snap a human’s forearm. Once clamped on, the Moss crab won’t let go of whatever it is gripping for several seconds while applying increasing pressure before letting go.

Besides its claws, the primary defense that a Moss Crab possesses is its pyrite carapace which is bullet-resistant (the carapace being not entirely bulletproof due to the porous nature of its shell). The Moss Crab’s bullet-resistant shell is highly porous and allows the growth of nonvascular flora such as moss and fungi (Red-Caps and Orange-Stems being the most common) to grow upon its shell.  This layer of moss growing on the Moss Crabs shell helps with camouflage, disguising the Moss Crab as a mossy rock, and aids in insulation. The moss that grows on the shell of the Moss Crab helps it regulate its temperature during the cold months by helping retain heat that might otherwise be lost through its porous shell. This adaptation allows the Moss Crab to survive on the surface during the winter when many other anthropod species would rather weather the icy winter months inside the warmer hollows.

The leathery skin and scales that the Moss Crab possesses are surprisingly tough and give the anthropod a surprising amount of protection as it traverses its environment. Thanks to its heritage in the hollows, the Moss Crab is a decent climber, using its pinchers, strong limbs, and robust toes to climb rocks and hoist itself up ledges. The feet of the Moss Crab further aid in its climbing by having microscopic folds in its footpads like that of a gecko to help it gain purchase on smoother surfaces. When it comes to finding food, the Moss Crab uses its two long fleshy antennae to smell and taste what’s around it. The Moss Crab can do this due to the many fine hairs that run across the surface of its fleshy antennae. These fine hair follicles contain olfactory receptors that allow the Moss Crab to sniff out potential food from 7km away.  While there are taste receptors scattered throughout the fleshy antennae of the Moss Crab, the majority of the taste receptors it possesses are concentrated on its oral claws.

Once a food item has been tasted by both the antennae and manipulating claws (the taste receptors being located on the ‘teeth’ of these claws) will then be given a final test by the oral pinchers. Should a food item pass the test, the oral claws will shovel the food into the complicated mouthparts of the Moss Crab to break up and swallow. Oddly enough, Moss Crabs have excellent eyesight due to the positioning of their eyes on their bodies. The compound eyes of Moss Crabs are made up of tens of thousands of individual ommatidia (elements containing a cluster of photoreceptor cells, support cells, and pigment cells) in each eye. Additionally, each eye possesses a fovea (a concentrated area of photoreceptor cells) that acts as a pseudo pupil in the compound eyes of the anthropod. These give the Moss Crab an extensive view of the world around it with stereoscopic vision where the vision of each eye overlap.  To blink, the Moss Crab, like other stalk-eyed anthropods, will pull its compound eye into its body cavity to clean it of particles and impurities before extending the eye again. Large tactile hairs exist on each of the six legs that the Moss Crab uses to walk (though it also uses its claws like legs when walking on occasion). Much like vertebrate whiskers, these whiskers the Moss Crab possesses help sense its environment. These tactile hairs enable the Moss Crab to not only sense changes in the air currents around it but also help it navigate cramp environments.

To communicate, the Moss Crab will either flex its armored abdomen to create chirps from its nineteen nostrils running down its abdomen or by making loud clacking sounds with its claws. The nostrils of the Moss Crab and other athropods evolved from the spiracles their ancestors possessed, and their book lungs evolved into a series of vertebrate-like lungs to diffuse oxygen into their bloodstream. The ears of the Moss Crab (located between its face and back plates) are sensitive to the chirps, and clacks Moss Crabs make and allow the anthropods to communicate with each other up to five kilometers away. When threatened, the Moss Crab will pull its faceplate back towards its backplate and fold its legs against its body for defense. Once in that position, the Moss Crab will release a stress call that resembles a low-frequency moan until the threat has passed or been grabbed by its claws. The Moss Crab will clack its claws loudly and release loud chirps from its abdomen when excited. These excited calls are commonly utilized by Moss Crabs when a carcass has been found, which draws in other Moss Crabs in the area to help break down the corpse. During the spring (or winter inside the hollows), female Moss Crabs will release low-frequency calls letting male Moss Crabs know that they are ready to reproduce.

Once gathered, male Moss Crabs will court females by making loud, frequent calls and chirps before fighting with other males. Male Moss Crabs fight by clasping their claws together and attempting to push the other competing male over onto their back or sides. The males who win these mating competitions earn breeding rights to the females gathered around them. To mate, the male and female Moss Crabs will face away from each other and unfurl their abdomens from underneath their bodies and connect their abdomens together. The two claws on the end of the male’s abdomen help by clasping onto the carapace on the end of the female’s abdomen so reproduction can occur. Once mating is done, the female will hold the fertilized eggs inside her abdomen for ten days before laying her clutch of ten to twelve eggs (Moss Crab eggs being the same size as chicken eggs) in a nest of vegetation the female has prepared. These eggs will incubate for between twenty-one to thirty-one days before hatching. Once these nymphs have hatched, they will call out to their mother, who will return and remove them from the nest. Nymphs will stay with their mother for the first sixth months of their lives, wherein their shells will have hardened enough to protect them and begin growing moss. Once separated from their mother, Moss Crab nymphs will grow over the course of three years before reaching their full size and reaching sexual maturity.

The naturally curious nature of the Moss Crab (their brains being slightly larger than a lemon and being located under the eyes behind the faceplate) has led to Moss Crabs being considered almost a nuisance inside the Walls of Malgori. This is due to their habit of rummaging through human trash to find something to eat, and occasionally breaking the hand and/ or arms of children harassing them. The long limbs of the Moss Crab allow them to pull themselves into large dumpsters or crush the flimsy metal locks of others with their claws. Moss Crabs are also a hazard for cars and trains due to the pyrite shell they possess making them a forty-pound rock with legs and eyes. Thankfully in the cities, Moss Crabs are rare enough that this is no longer a significant concern (though this is likely due to the high mortality rate of Moss Crab nymphs within the walls). The Moss Crab nymphs that manage to survive to adulthood within the walls have learned to use crosswalks like people. It’s becoming an increasingly common to see lone Moss Crabs hiding in moss-covered back walkways and Mother Moss Crabs crossing the street alongside a crowd of humans with their nymphs in toe. On occasion, Moss Crabs have also been called ‘Companion Crabs’by Guild Huntsman and people living in the country due to their habit of crowding around the fire alongside the humans.

Moss Crabs are intelligent enough not to throw themselves into the fire like crustaceans and instead will sit around the fire at night and stare into the flames. Over time Moss Crabs have learned that hanging around a fire with humans or Hakdor might earn them food has led to the risk of campers being harassed by Moss Crabs for food; or having their food outright stolen by a Moss Crab gently snatching their food away from them. Like other anthropods, the white meat of the Moss Crab is in high demand due to the taste of the meat being like crab and lobster flesh. Like crab meat, the meat of Moss Crabs (and other anthropods for that matter) absorbs flavor easily while cooking and, while soft, has a texture between red meat and poultry due to the muscle fibers the Moss Crab possesses. While this demand for anthroprod meat would usually lead to the widespread farming of the Moss Crab for its flesh, due to its tough pyrite shell and leathery skin it possesses, this is not the case. Instead, most anthropod meat within the walls is from farmed Jidderways (similarly sized soft-bodied anthropods), which are much easier to butcher than Moss Crabs. Leading the Moss Crab to be seen as the occasional curiosity encountered within the city and a general nuisance for restaurants and those living in the country where local Moss Crabs break into their trashcans for a snack.

[k-eke]

La creatura.