Non-Sentient Grinning Garida

[Mr. Teatime]

THE ABYSSAL

GRINNING GARIDA

Titanicarididae Abyssalis​

HOME-WORLD -
BIOLOGY -
DIET -
REPRODUCTION -
AVERAGE LENGTH -
Wrea.
Crustaceoform
Carnivorous.
Egg-laying.
10-50 meters.

CHARACTERISTICS​

The Grinning Garida is a deep sea predator native to Wrea, a planet in the outer rim known for its seafood exports and incredibly dangerous seas populated by aquatic megafauna.

Grinning Garida are so named for the perpetual "grin" on their faces owing to jaws that never fully close. Marked by curved snaggle teeth along the upper jaw and a pair of long grasping fangs on the bottom, their signature grin has earned them the alternate name "Hellshrimp" from some outlanders who've seen them. A

Attached to the lower jaw is a pair of long, serrated pincers used in both capturing larger prey and shoveling the meat into their mouth. Grinning Garida have a remarkably adaptive diet. Folding membranes in the throat are used for filter feeding and they are frequently observed launching through schools of fish. Generally speaking, they'll eat anything they can fit into their mouths.

Garida are primarily ambush predators, however, hiding among underwater rock formations, on the sea floor, or just sitting very still in dark or murky waters. They dive forward to strike and capture prey with their enlarged forelimbs, pinchers, and jaws. Certain portions of their bodies are bioluminescent; their eyes, gills, tongue, and tips of their sensory antennae. They possess control of their own illumination and utilize the antennae as lures for prey, while their eyes, gills, and tongue are used in threat displays against other large predators.

Their upper and tail carapace is exceptionally resilient, strengthened by a unique combination of natural fibers and Wrean minerals to form crystalline networks throughout the shell. These crystalline minerals are stored on their back and begin to shrink as they grow to maturity the contents are used up. The older a Garida, the smaller the crystal formations and the more metallic its shell appears to be. Traditional energy weapons, even vehicle-sized variants, are useless against this mighty shield. Any species that prey on them instead target their more vulnerable underbelly, away from their weaponized forelimbs.

While most of their legs are used for swimming and clinging to surfaces, their large forelimbs more closely resemble terrestrial Mantis species. Oversized and with a sharp, bladed appendage threatening with curves and spikes, these weapons let them threaten prey larger than themselves. They bend inward and lunge forward to catch and bind, allowing them to tear into their meal freely. Another weapon in their arsenal is the sensor-filled "horn" on their upper jaw, used more rarely outside territorial disputes or a last-ditch resort. Notoriously, Garida prefer to eat the fat-rich insides first.

Swift only in short bursts, Grinning Garida rely on camouflage and ambush more than direct attack. When defending from another predator they mount on a solid surface when possible, presenting their forelimbs, fangs, and strong shell. They're most vulnerable when attacking prey, as they must leave shelter behind and their forelimbs are already occupied.

Most infamously, despite its separate name and classification, the Grinning Garida is only the juvenile stage of a much larger form of life that dwells deep within the Tethysian Abyss. They hatch from eggs laid in abyssal caves and grow to monstrous sizes comparable to the largest whales, some of which they prey upon. Taking centuries, they continue to grow throughout their life until the mineral formation on their backs are used up.

Should they survive that long, they retreat to the deepest reaches of the sea to find shelter and prepare for adulthood as a Charybdis Leviathan.

INTENT​

To create a biologically unusual and terrifying monster of the Seas of Wrea to and flesh out the lore and community of its waters. I like sea monsters and oceanic mythology and figured since I've been expanding on Wrean culture and ecology in threads I may as well make some shrimp lore.

 

[The Good Doctor]

Approved!