Snapper Scuttler

Splitting from its ancestor, the snapper scuttlers have spread throughout the tropical and temperate waters off Barlowe. Carnivorous, they feed upon their own relatives, exploiting their abundant numbers, as well as the numerous swarmer species that are to be found within the local waters. They are also adept scavengers, voyaging even onto beaches so as to feast on dead and stranded sea life. With powerful serrated jaws, they are able to quickly render the flesh of their prey, and if a single bite should fail to take it down, then its sharpened forelimbs will spear and stab it until it finally succumbs. They are protected by a shell on their backs, and their eyesight has improved in order to coincide with their rise in predation, thus allowing them to see in low-light levels.

Eggs, once fertilized, are stored in orange eggs sacs that the female glues keeps nestled just beneath her shell. Safe and secure here, the eggs develop and grow for several weeks before it is time for them to hatch. Once they do, the released larvae float up into the plankton layer and begin life, feeding on smaller organism as they mature. Once they are old enough, they will sink to the sea floor and molt into their adult forms.