Hoverthorn
Monopter astrapakantha
, the one-finned lightning thorn. A small fish that has discarded fins in favor of a living magnetohydrodynamic thruster.
Overview
, the one-finned lightning thorn. A small fish that has discarded fins in favor of a living magnetohydrodynamic thruster.
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.
Small fish you can grab by hand on the north edge of late-game waters past the canyon, near the giant structure.
- Threat SenseUnlock 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. Monopter
Fish are a common body plan across alien worlds, but they usually evolve fins or wings for propulsion. The hover thorn has just a single fin — a tail rudder at the base of the spinal braid. Spiracles behind the double eyes draw water for an internal gill.
2. Doubled eye
The hoverthorn's large primary eye is duplicated by a small secondary eye which contains columns of electro-active jelly. The hoverthorn can effectively see electromagnetic fields. The second eye was created by a duplication in the hoverthorn's HOLOX genes, which organize the thorn's body plan. A viral gene sequence copying itself throughout the hoverthorn's genome apparently copy-pasted the eye 'blueprint' several million years ago.
3. Hoverthorn
The hoverthorn's most incredible trait is its charge crystal, a mineralized swim bladder which fills the lower body cavity and protrudes from what was once a thruster orifice. A mineral Campbell matrix in the crystal organizes electric charge. When a portion of the crystal is charged, it polarizes and attracts surrounding seawater. Moving the charge along the crystal creates currents in the seawater — allowing the hoverthorn to generate and ride its own water currents.
4. Mating behavior
Hoverthorns joust with their charge crystals, approaching each other tail-first. As the crystals approach, their fields interact, and the weaker or less skilled hoverthorn will lose control. Both male and female hoverfish use this to either drive away or select fit mates.
Assessment
Distribution
- OR - Observatory169
- OR - Root Canyons60
Related Creatures
More entries from the same ecological slice.
Bluemoon
Databank entry coming soon.
Bullethead
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Cerathecan
"Our PDAs point to organisms like the cerathecan and exclaim 'behold: the road not taken'. On Earth, seed shrimp are tiny slime-dwellers; on Proteus they grow huge. But just as easy life in our decontaminated bases deafens us to the call of Proteus, easy analogies blind us to the truth. The map from Earth is not only wrong, so is its basic dogma. Evolution does not follow roads here." —Anita Gottschall, *The Way Away Home* *Exile cerathecan*, the horn-cupped exile. A mysterious carnivore and deposit feeder with no clear Earth analog except the tiny ostracod (seed shrimp).