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Description

When designing the Megarachnid, I've tried many different concepts and baselines. I wanted something insect-like, but wanted to avoid it looking similar to Tyranids/Zerg/Xenomorph/Antlions.

Megarachnid, as a term designating an alien race, has to my knowledge only been used in a single WH40K novel, but compared to my other attempts at naming the buggers, it's probably the best I came up with. (I have read that novel, and did really enjoy it, and will pointed out that there is few, if any, similarities between the two alien races.)

Other names were: Biochitin, Spiderals, Ants, Aliens

The moon Triton is a bit of an odd choice, as most stories try to stick to the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. However, I came across the tidbit that Triton may not even have originated in our solar system, and that it may have been a wanderer that Neptune caught in it's gravity. Mysterious...

A retrograde orbit (moving opposite of the planet's rotation), geologically active, VERY far from Earth, mostly ice composition, with rock of metal core, a supposedly growing atmosphere; there is a lot of interesting things about Triton, so it makes an excellent setting.

Megarachnid have two design focal points; the long crab-like pincers, and the giant mouth with waaaaaaay too many teeth. The grasping claw are the main offensive trait of the creatures, sharp and strong, capable of cutting a victim down to size rapidly. The claws give it not only reach, but the ability to manipulate it's environment. The large spurs on the top of the claws are used as anchors, allowing the Megarachnid to continue holding on to whatever it wants, while still able to use the grasper as a leg.

The hair-like growths are used for sensing the area around them, while also tracking changes in the air around them, increase perception. The "eyes" are not used in a traditional sense, and are instead able to judge and track radiation around it.

For the main body of the Megarachnid, the term "walking-stomach" is apt. The large jaws are capable of virgorous movement, and actually contain multiple jawbones, layered inwards. In motion, this gives the impression of a shredder/grinder, kind of like a garbage disposal. Grinding anything consumed into smaller and more easily digested chunks, the Megarachnid will then transport this organic/liquid sludge back into the hive, vomiting it into giant pools, where the larva of the species feed.

The stomach of the Megarachnid contains very corrosive acids, helping it tunnel through the ice around it. Triton has lost most of it's organic life, due to the lack of any predators capable of combating the Megarachnid, so now the different hives mostly feed off of each other.

Megarachnid are also capable of hibernating for millenniums inside of the hive, only waking (and consuming resources) when needed by the hive.

Description

When designing the Megarachnid, I've tried many different concepts and baselines. I wanted something insect-like, but wanted to avoid it looking similar to Tyranids/Zerg/Xenomorph/Antlions.

Megarachnid, as a term designating an alien race, has to my knowledge only been used in a single WH40K novel, but compared to my other attempts at naming the buggers, it's probably the best I came up with. (I have read that novel, and did really enjoy it, and will pointed out that there is few, if any, similarities between the two alien races.)

Other names were: Biochitin, Spiderals, Ants, Aliens

The moon Triton is a bit of an odd choice, as most stories try to stick to the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. However, I came across the tidbit that Triton may not even have originated in our solar system, and that it may have been a wanderer that Neptune caught in it's gravity. Mysterious...

A retrograde orbit (moving opposite of the planet's rotation), geologically active, VERY far from Earth, mostly ice composition, with rock of metal core, a supposedly growing atmosphere; there is a lot of interesting things about Triton, so it makes an excellent setting.

Megarachnid have two design focal points; the long crab-like pincers, and the giant mouth with waaaaaaay too many teeth. The grasping claw are the main offensive trait of the creatures, sharp and strong, capable of cutting a victim down to size rapidly. The claws give it not only reach, but the ability to manipulate it's environment. The large spurs on the top of the claws are used as anchors, allowing the Megarachnid to continue holding on to whatever it wants, while still able to use the grasper as a leg.

The hair-like growths are used for sensing the area around them, while also tracking changes in the air around them, increase perception. The "eyes" are not used in a traditional sense, and are instead able to judge and track radiation around it.

For the main body of the Megarachnid, the term "walking-stomach" is apt. The large jaws are capable of virgorous movement, and actually contain multiple jawbones, layered inwards. In motion, this gives the impression of a shredder/grinder, kind of like a garbage disposal. Grinding anything consumed into smaller and more easily digested chunks, the Megarachnid will then transport this organic/liquid sludge back into the hive, vomiting it into giant pools, where the larva of the species feed.

The stomach of the Megarachnid contains very corrosive acids, helping it tunnel through the ice around it. Triton has lost most of it's organic life, due to the lack of any predators capable of combating the Megarachnid, so now the different hives mostly feed off of each other.

Megarachnid are also capable of hibernating for millenniums inside of the hive, only waking (and consuming resources) when needed by the hive.