Houndgar
Houndgar (tentatively *Teuthis courser*). A squid that dazzles prey for marrowbreach ambush.
Overview
Houndgar (tentatively *Teuthis courser*). A squid that dazzles prey for marrowbreach ambush.
BioMods unlocked by scanning
Scan this species with a Bio Scanner at the Biolab to register its genome. These biomods will then appear for research.
Toxic Sponge: caves in the starter area. Houndgar: near Alien Ruins in the late-game zone (drill-like creature).
- Chum CloudUnlock guide →
Gameplay attributes
No species-specific gameplay effect found; values use the engine's large- or small-creature default template.
AI profile
PDA Analysis
1. Squidlike body plan
Shares a basic bauplan (body plan) with terrestrial squid — a beaked head, eight arms, a long soft body, a pair of fins. Developed fin structure suggests a different evolutionary history than Earth's boneless squid. Two spiracles pass water for an internal gill.
2. Camouflage display
The houndgar's eight arms are joined by four membranes, which the houndgar displays to prey. Millions of chromatophores (biological pixels) create patterns of motion camouflage to conceal the houndgar's approach.
3. Marrowbreach partnership
Houndgars are ideal prey for marrowbreaches, but the two species hunt together. The houndgar flushes prey from hiding, then distracts and marks them for the marrowbreach's poor vision by performing a display. The houndgar gets the scraps—the bigger the prey, the more the houndgar benefits.
4. Powerful beak
The houndgar's parrot-like beak tears tough flesh: important because everything the houndgar swallows passes through the center of its brain.
5. Speculative social structure
Squads of houndgars must spot good prey for their marrowbreaches or become food themselves; marrowbreaches must attract good houndgar squads by yielding more of their kills. Houndgars push the marrowbreach to take ever larger prey. The negotiation of an ongoing contract between houndgars and marrowbreach is a reminder of Alterra Alms' mantra that 'we all need to be needed'.
Assessment
Related Creatures
More entries from the same ecological slice.
Acid Raion
A colony of worms living inside a shared membrane, probably a sponge. Uses weak acid to digest prey.
Aeroshell Sponge
A glowing sponge (tentatively *Symphon aeroshell*) that resembles the cone of a heat shield on atmospheric entry.
Amphora Sponge
A sponge adapted to colonize — and create — air pockets.