Swamplice, also known as “ballastbugs”, are isopod-like animals native to the tropical and subtropical coasts of Dra’Hynus. They use local, organic materials to camouflage themselves and ward off predators. The swamplice of the Behean Shelf are noted in particular for reaching larger sizes and living longer. This is more a change in diet than a case of speciation.
Description
Swamplice are sizable, isopod-like animals measuring up to 4 feet in length and nearly as much in circumference. Breeding females have been weighed at over 230 pounds once stripped of their scavenged armor. The swamplice’s carapace armor is thick and inflexible along their backs, and their abdomen armor is divided into six segments that can wrap underneath their carapace to offer some protection to their otherwise vulnerable underbellies. Long, hooked hairs protrude from between their chitinous plates to grip onto plants.
They have two eyes capable of picking up light and large movement, but most of their “vision” comes from two antennae protruding from their foreheads which they use to gain a tactile image of their surroundings. Swamplice have ten feet ending in scopulae and retractable claws, similar to those of spiders, both of which they use to grip smooth surfaces. Beneath their legs and carapace are suction pads which they use to lock themselves onto trees or dire khests.
Size
Swamplice molt similar to Earth’s lobsters, which means there isn’t a definitive limit to their size. Most swamplice outside of the Behean Shelf grow to only 2 and ½ feet in length and 100 pounds. With the added protection and feeding opportunities that come with attaching to a dire khest, the swamplice of the Behean Shelf can grow much larger and do so more quickly. There have been unverified reports of swamplice as large as 5 feet in length, although these sightings have been deemed unreliable due to the conditions of the swamp and the character of the witnesses.
Evolution
Swamplice came from terrestrial isopod-like animals. It is currently theorized that their behavior of decorating their backs with defensive foliage originally came from burying themselves beneath plants in loose soil. It was beneficial to have this camouflage be more mobile, and so their bodies eventually developed the hair-like structures that plants attach to. With this added defense able to protect the chinks in their chitinous armor, the swamplice grew into a much larger form. Their antennae, although originally used to chart a course through the underbrush, became thicker and more pliable, which allowed the swamplice to manipulate the gardens on their backs.
Armor
A distinct feature of the swamplice is their ability to create armor for themselves [and thus their dire khest host] out of the organic material available to them. These are mostly the living plants that cling to the sides or root-formed islands of the mangrove-like trees of coastal regions near the Behean River, although there are exceptions.
Preferred Flora
The flora of the planet Dra’Hynus reflects light in the blue-turquoise spectrum as a result of the qualities of its star. Most plants native to the Behean Shelf cling to the sides of trees or rest on loose soil, which means they can actually thrive after being adopted by a swamplouse. Many of the plants of the Behean Shelf are submerged during high tides or storms. Hence they are resistant enough to ocean water to occasionally be submerged as a dire khest dives. Nevertheless, there is a limit to their salt intake, and they will eventually die if not tended properly.
Among the preferred plants of the swamplose include:
- Daggermoss that expands across the roots and trunks of the Behean Shelf’s mangroves, and it is covered in cactus-like needles.
- Beelzebub’s Tear, a delicate vine with caustic “pustules” that burn the eyes and throats of those who disturb it.
- Witchwart, named after its resemblance to a hooked witch’s nose, the tip of which is hardened and can pierce skin.
- Hertznuts, named after the protrusions of naval mines and pop on impact with hard surfaces, spreading the seeds of towering mangroves. The woody shrapnel of the shells offers an abundant supplement to the swamplice’s armor.
- Viccant, a leafy bush that rests on the soft soils at the mangroves’ roots. Strong winds and waves wash them into the water, where they float until they reach a new destination. They are also an anticoagulant.
- Behean Brambles, vines covered in raised, serrated scales that can easily become embedded into the flesh if brushed in the wrong direction. Their black fruits are rich in antioxidants and are a staple among local Behean diets.
Behavior & Ecology
Swamplice are slow-moving creatures that crawl across trees and rocks while foraging for vegetation. When threatened, they will anchor themselves to surfaces using suction pads. Swamplice can often be found on the backs of dire khests, which facilitate their feeding and offer some defense from larger predators.
Diet & Predation
Most adult swamplice can be found feeding on leaves in the canopies and on the trunks of trees, although juvenile swamplice may bury themselves in the soil at their bases. These young swamplice will be hidden from most predators while feeding on roots and low-lying shrubs. From the backs of the dire khest, swamplice have more access to hanging foliage, fruits, and flowers.
As juvenile swamplice are only about 1 inch in length when they hatch, any carnivore, omnivore, or inattentive herbivore is a potential threat. Should a swamplouse in any stage of development fall into the waters of the Behean Shelf, any number of aquatic carnivores will be able to tear into its underbellies. Adult swamplice with their floral armor have only a few predators. These will mostly be large carnivores able to strike from the water, such as pallidosuchus, or terrestrial predators able to dig underneath the swamplice.
Reproduction
Swamplice are not sexually dimorphic, and the females will brood thousands of eggs in a given season. These eggs will be cared for 6 months before hatching around their mother. The post-larval swamplice largely resemble their adult form except for their size and modified carapace.
Beneath the modified carapace of the juvenile swamplouse is a large number of the hooked hairs the adults use to anchor plants. These hairs, however, are dense and long enough to carry the juveniles away with strong winds when deployed. In the Behean Shelf, this would carry the juvenile swanplice into the mangroves’ canopies. The hairs will disappear after a swamplouse’s first molt, usually a day or two after they hatch and find their first meal.
Relationship with Sapients
As a slow-moving animal high in protein and of little intelligence, the swamplouse has become a begrudging staple of the Behean diet. The texture of the flesh beneath its chitinous exterior has been described as mushroom-like in consistency and taste, which has made it quite versatile in filling a number of culinary roles, although the package it comes in can be disconcerting for new colonists. Swamplice caviar has yet to catch on.
Several attempts have been made to merchandise the rest of the swamplouse, the most admiral of which has been selling its shell as a bassinet. Most commonly, the shells will be used as light armor for those venturing into the swamps. Their hairs have seen some success as herb racks and potting fixtures in homes across Behea.
This entry was a joint collaboration between Spaghetti Moe and Rezonant Void.