Needler Mango
Mango kestros
, the dart-throwing shark. Territorial predator capable of launching uranium-tipped tusks at up to twenty meters per second.
Overview
, the dart-throwing shark. Territorial predator capable of launching uranium-tipped tusks at up to twenty meters per second.
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.
Large deep trenches in the endgame zone toward the giant structure. Highly aggressive—bring a repair tool for your vehicle.
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Gameplay attributes
From this species' InitialAttributes gameplay effect asset.
AI profile
- Ram: 100, Physical, ~2.5 m radius
- Bite: 50, Physical, ~2.5 m radius
- Hit: 10, Physical, ~2.5 m radius
- Eat: 10, None, ~2.5 m radius
- Shoot: 3, Physical, ~2.5 m radius
PDA Analysis
1. Erupted jaw
Dominated by six upper jaw tusk sockets. The lower jaw has receded into the throat for rasping and crushing. Muscles behind each tusk crank ligaments around hard anchors, storing mechanical energy like a crossbow.
2. Teeth battery
Tusks are reloaded from mature spares deeper in the skull. Needlers constantly form new tusks by 'sneezing' ground mineral paste and quick-setting enzyme into dental sacs. Each tusk is tipped with a self-sharpening uranium oxide cap.
3. Body structure
The equally spaced dorsal, pectoral and pelvic fins give the needler excellent stability and aim control. A large caudal fin drives the needler on the sprint. Like its relative the marrowbreach, it has no thruster. Four 'whiskers' detect water currents to help aim.
4. Behavior
Needlers are social, nesting and sometimes hunting in family groups. They may be pack predators — cooperating to bring down larger organisms. Their need for constant mineral intake makes them fiercely territorial.
5. Evolutionary history
The needler shares a close relationship with the nibbler mango, which has a similar battery of constantly regenerating teeth. The needler may have evolved its tusks to penetrate hard shells—first firing into prey already clamped in its jaw, then launching the tusks as harpoons.
Assessment
Distribution
- OR - Observatory3
- OR - Power Plant2
- OR - Root Canyons1
Related Creatures
More entries from the same ecological slice.
BFJ
, the behemoth finger-legged jelly. A massive specimen with no Earthly analog.
Bluemoon
Databank entry coming soon.
Bullethead
, the armored squid dart. A swarm predator that attacks by ramming and penetrating its prey. Capable of *Caught script hook in allocated memory for command >> generate-databank "Bullethead" >> echo \memory-carve -signature=0xSEABEEF5 >> restore-databank* "I saw their eyes first. Bright yellow eyes, down the inside of the lava tube. I killed the motors and the floods, signaled Iso and Mel to grab the handholds, and held my breath. For a minute I thought we'd ride clean through. Then the current pulled the Tadpole into an outcrop and at the sound they all just—went off. Like bottle rockets. Back and forth, up and down, everywhere. One of them lodged in the port hull just aft of the canopy and I saw, very clearly, that it was a squid, completely plated in armor. They hit you tail first, hard enough to punch into titanium. Incredible. Do you think they run on compressed air? Or do they burn something? The hull alarm went off — I tried to blink the floods to confuse them — but Mel and Iso's blackboxes were already crying. The noise seemed to attract them. Apparently they like to get stuck in wounded prey and wait until you bleed to death, then go to work on your carcass. So by the time I got back to Habitat there wasn't much left of Iso and Mel for Iso and Mel to recycle." —Tsewangiin "Ruby" Anar, "When I Didn't Die"