Subject: Carrion beetle
From:
Kris Steel
Found on at least 12 inhabited worlds the actual indigenous homeworld of the Carrion beetle, also called the ‘death-watch bug’ by some downtowners for its reputed ability to detect the imminent demise of a person. Science has long proven that the beetle cant tell if someone is dying and it is pure superstition, what is remarkable about these little beetles is their ability to locate dead and decaying organic material up to 8 km downwind. Whereupon they will take to the air and descend in swarms around the material and begin consuming it in large numbers. The beetle is harmless to people and completely non aggressive, in fact the amount of refuse that the beetles can eat probably helps keep down the amount of rubbish in the streets, which in turn helps to keep disease and larger scavengers away. SHIVERS dont like them, as the bugs have been known to eat through a murder victim’s corpse in up to 8 hours, which makes determining the death that much more difficult.
Size: 20-55mm long
Appearance: 6 legged, black armoured beetle with 4 wings
Move: 1m (crawl) 2m (flying)
One of the nastiest denizens to come across on Mort, they do prefer relatively dry and quiet areas to build their nests. Normally inoffensive creatures to humans, they do have substantial size to deter smaller predators and highly painful bites with their 4 fangs to dissuade anything larger from molesting them. Unless directly provoked these large, web spinning spiders won’t attack but have been known to eat anything that gets stuck in their thick, rope-like webs after wrapping it in silk and then drawing out its body fluids with the two larger fangs. Usually they can be found in small groups of up to 6 spiders but if space allows sometimes more. Diet usually consists of rats, large insects but at times this has also included carnivorous piglets and young Carriens or children!
When alarmed the Dog spider can cough out a loud ‘bark’ from their trachea tubes and startle off intruders, eyesight and hearing are above normal and can navigate in complete darkness without a problem. The webs are matt black in colour and can cover an area of up to 30sq metres with this silk, particularly brave Carriens have been known to cut part of it off to use in making rope and binding threads.
Size: 300-500mm legspan
Weight: 150-400gms (larger specimens have been sighted)
Appearance: Dark grey/black spider with sparse, short hair on its external body. Eyes glow red in IR vision
Hits: 3-6
Move: 4m (web) 3 (crawling)
Rarely seen, this large and aggressive spider is an active predator of small mammals like mice and insects it has been responsible for up to 300-900 deaths a year in Downtown. Once a native to the jungle planet of Charlie’s Point it is thought to have been brought back by veterans or as pets that escaped from its owners. They are a popular pet amongst some Brainwasters who keep them in glass terrariums but most people would be wise to keep them out of their homes or risk being bitten. The combination of highly toxic venom, which attacks the nervous system and a bad disposition, makes these a very dangerous animal.
Capable of jumping up to 2 feet and getting under doors they have been known to come inside homes as a way of getting out of the rain, sometimes this involves hiding in cupboards and empty shoes as they avoid being out in bright light. An antivenin is available from some hospitals which will counter the poison but it must be injected, unconsciousness occurs after 20mins (of screaming agony), coma within 25mins and death from heart failure after 35mins.
Regardless, people still keep them as pets and collectors will pay up to 2000u for a full grown specimen in good condition, the Dept of Health will pay 500u per spider (alive) for antivenin milking.
Size: 120mm legspan
Weight: 90gms (larger specimens have been sighted)
Appearance: Light grey spider with thick, luxuriant hair on its external body and reddish marking on abdomen.
Move: 2m (crawling)
Thats my horrible crawly's bit done, now, where are those parasites...