[Cosmosdex] The Universal Encyclopedia

[Cosmosdex]

Shellker
     

Sandcrabs

Shellker
“SKREEKEKEKEKEE!” — A very angry Shellker

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  • Strength-5
  • Intelligence-1
  • Charisma-1
  • Endurance-10
  • Agility-3
  • Luck-2

Danger Level: Low
Likes: Sand, Warmth, Headpats, Shellpats sometimes
Dislikes: Cold, Being ridden

Attack Method: Most commonly, shellker's will attack provokers with harsh body slams using their spiky exterior, and if that is not effective, use its four pincers to nip at creatures. Otherwise shellkers prefer sneak attacks when buried underground.

Attributes
Environment: Exclusively desert regions
Lifespan: 17 years
Size: 3 ft tall, 5 ft long
Diet: Anything

Bodytype: Taur
Type: Arthropod
Rarity: Uncommon

Original Creator: hellionsMaw


Physical Description

The Shellker's most striking feature is their spiky shell, often black or a dark brown in coloration. This spiked shell can be most likened to a horse chestnut in appearance and covers the whole of the creature, giving it a domed look. If one were to look underneath they would notice the distinctly arachnid appearance of their bodies, with four legs for traversing the sands, two smaller pincer like limbs for protection and two front pincers, scoop-like in appearance. The Shellker also has a long, stiff tail which it uses to sense surrounding areas for prey when it is buried underground.

Shellker mouths are distinctly crab like. They have four eyes, often red in color. Most Shellkers are largely black or brown in color, although some have been known to be lighter brown. Albino Shellker's are very rare, but possible.

Behavior

Shellkers are gentle giants till provoked. For most of their lives they are immobile, stuck into the ground and waiting for unwitting prey that would pass them by. They can go several months without food in this state and move only when it seems beneficial to do so. Shellkers are scavengers by nature and can eat pretty much anything without much issue. Shellkers have been known to occasionally fish on the coasts for fish with their long tails, however it is very rare one would see a shellker out so far from their cozy desert habitat. Since shelkers cannot handle extreme cold, they have an aversion to it.

If kept as a pet, they do well to work in hot or humid areas that are unlikely to get cold. They do good work at keeping weeds at bay and certain wealthier plantation owners use these creatures to make sure nothing interferes with the crops. It should be noted though that shellkers are notoriously hard to train, due to their stubbornness and lack of intelligence and may eat things the owner might want to keep. With some training they can be taught not to eat these items.

Shellkers have an innate instinct to burrow, so if one keeps a shellker as a pet it is smart to have somewhere for the shelker to bury themselves down, as they do this for a number of reasons but mainly for sleeping and relaxing. They likewise do this when they hunt. It is easy to tell the difference, as shellkers lay with their shell turned up, peeking just above the sand to soak in sunlight when relaxing or sleeping, whilst one can only see the rigid black tail if the shellker is on the hunt.

Subspecies

Blue-Spotted Shellker: Blue-Spotted shellker are an incredibly rare subspecies of the normal desert-dwelling shellker. Typically found in the jungles, they are prized for their succulent meat and beautiful shells. It is ill-advised to eat blue-spotted shellker raw as they are poisonous. Their spiked tails are able to distribute their poison.

Special

Monobiome: Shellkers will not survive in any temperature which is not considered hot. This is due to their inability to retain warmth easily if exposed to the elements.

Trivia

• Shellkers taste horrible and are seldom used for cooking. However, they are perfectly safe to eat.

• Their shells are incredibly durable and can protect them from much anything. It has been reported that some of their shells can deflect laser shots, but this is believed to be hyperbole.

• Shellkers are considered a sacred animal among certain circles. Their shells are highly prized and commonly used in medicinal rituals, as it is believed that Shellker shells are innately pure or clean from impurities.

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