Chasm Crasher

Chasm crashers are a species of crustacean from the Empire Ocean. These animals live inside chasms and ravines inside the various meteors in the ocean.

Anatomy

Chasm crashers have very wide bodies, and when rolled up form an almost perfect sphere. Their exoskeleton is covered in small spikes, and are scaled to allow the animal to hide in a ball. This exterior is a dark brown colour, to help camouflage against the meteors. Two large horns protrude from their heads, on either side of their forwards-facing eyes. Five pairs of legs nestle on their belly, used to grip onto the seabed or sides of ravines.

Two long, ribbon like fins drape from underneath their exoskeletons, used for courtship. A pair of horns jut out from their backsides, either side of their wide tail. Their tails are tear-shaped, with a large white spot on the underside.

Diet

Chasm crashers are herbivorous animals. They use small razor-sharp teeth to saw through short plant vegetation growing on seabeds and along the sides of chasms, valleys, and ravines. They consume a large amount of food as they require a great deal of energy, that they save for smashing up meteors.

Reproduction

Male chasm crashers perform in large leks, where they elegantly flail about their display fins. Females take about three days to pick their ideal male, and she will mate with him. The female then lays about a thousand eggs on the seabed and quickly abandon them, leaving the babies to fend for themselves once hatched.

Behaviour

Chasm crashers are named after their unusual habit of destroying the various meteors in the Empire Ocean that it calls home. It does this by squeezing into cracks and chasms, rolling into a ball, and slamming itself into the sides as fast as possible, at such high rates that the meteors explode. Nobody is sure why these animals do this, however some have theorised that this is a threat to other crashers, possibly over territory, food or mates.

Lifespan

15 years

Average Height

1 metre

Average Length

5 metres

Geographic Distribution

• Empire Ocean

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