Author Notes - I can't be the only one who hates the Crawbster fight, right? Like, it's kinda fun, but I often find it more frustrating than anything. It'd be a lot more (or a lot less, I suppose, depending on who you ask) fun if it didn't make boulders fall all the time. Maybe it's just because this thing has made both of my zero-death runs of Pikmin 2 absolutely miserable.
By the way, DON'T DO A NO-DEATH RUN OF PIKMIN 2. 0/10, WOULD NOT RECOMMEND. DON'T ASK WHY I DID IT TWICE THEN, BECAUSE I DON'T BLOODY KNOW!
CREEP-CRAB FAMILY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Crustacea
Order: Decapoda
EMILY'S PERSONAL NOTES
See, this is why we make sure our notes are updated. How the early reports on this Crawbster guy thought he was peaceful is beyond me. And I listened to them too. Never gonna recover from that shock. From now on, I follow only Captain Olimar's report. He may have caused a complete mess with how he classified the five Spectralids species (trust me, it's a MESS), but at least his behaviour notes are on point.
Speaking of which, I am not getting paid enough for this crap. Studying this creature had led to a near-death experience about ten times. I think. I lost track after it smacked me upside the head on attempt six. I know I said I didn't mind not getting paid for this work, but seriously. If I'm gonna work with beasts like this… I NEED MORE MONEY! If only for the medical bills… Oh, and I'll need some extra money to pay for the laundry. The amount of blood that's soaked into my space suit is crazy.
(Wait, there's two r's in 'Armurk'? I thought it was spelled 'amurk' at first! … I'm good at this.)
PHYSICAL APPEARANCES
All known members of this family have the following basic characteristics - a massive crustacean-like and segmented shell that is near impossible for most creatures to pierce, and a sensitive pink underbelly that is highly vulnerable to attack. The two known members, though they share these traits, appear wildly different otherwise.
The Parastacoidea reptantia (Segmented Crawbster) vaguely resembles a lobster or a crawfish. Its big blue shell, which resembles the tails of lobsters, comes in five segments that get smaller and smaller the closer you get to the three-pointed tail, hence the common name. Its head is covered in a red exoskeleton, with only its small black eyes on the sides of the head visible. Its head appears slightly 'folded in', and its small mouth can be seen in the 'crease'.
Its most notable trait, aside from its near-invincible exoskeleton, is its arms. While female specimens will have two medium-sized arms, the arms of the males are completely asymmetrical. The left arm of the males is much smaller than the females', to the point of being hard-to-find, while their right arm is simply massive - approximately 15 centimetres in length on average, compared to the 20cm of the body. These massive arms have two segments and resemble claws, with several spikes resembling shark fins going down the middle. This arm is actually a hypertrophic leg, which has evolved to have the use of an arm. The females instead have two regular legs that cannot be used as arms.
The Scalobita rotunda (Armurk), in contrast to the lobster-like Crawbster, more resembles a member of the Armadillidiidae family (pillbugs). Its domed body is covered by a hard shell consisting of five segments, each light grey with two purple lines. The second segment from the front has three small spikes, and two eyes each have a yellow sclera and red iris. Its many legs, circling around the base of its body, visually resemble leaves but have a similar consistency to gelatine. In addition to the pink underbelly, the end of its back is uncovered and is just as vulnerable.
HABITAT
Members of this family prefer underground habitats, and never reach the surface. In contrast to other underground creatures, which often go blind or otherwise visually-impaired thanks to all the darkness, their eyes are finely tuned to a lack of light. If they are forced to the surface, the bright sunlight will render them blind almost instantly.
Fully matured Crawbsters are a very rare species, and have only been spotted in the deepest reaches of a cave known as the 'Cavern of Chaos'. The lowest levels of this cavern are paved with light blue tiles highly resembling those one would find in a bathroom. They make their territories in massive square-shaped spaces, separated from each other outside of mating season.
Armurks are not much more common, and can only be found in deep caverns filled with crystalized rocks. The ground of such caverns is solid and near impossible to drill through, thanks to unusually high deposits of crystals. These areas are only easily-navigated with the help of either explosives or a group of Rockminicus graniticus (Rock Pikmin, see 'Pikmin').
Both species have exhibited highly aggressive and territorial behaviours towards any living being that infiltrates their home, and will deal with them in an incredibly violent manner.
DIET AND DEFENCES
The Crawbster sticks strictly to a carnivorous diet, and will hunt and consume just about anything it can crush. Its diet consists of all sorts of critters that live alongside it in the Cavern of Chaos, including: Wollywogs, Careening Dirigibugs, Anode Beetles, Mamutas, and even young Emperor Bulblaxes. The Armurk, in contrast, will eat meat when available, but typically dines in crystals instead. Its tough shell and spikes can easily break crystals into small shards that it can consume.
Both hunt prey in a similar manner. When they spot a creature they can consume, they will curl up into a ball - covering up their vulnerable areas - and charge with a roll so fast and powerful that they can only be stopped by a thick solid wall. The Crawbster in particular rams its prey with so much force that it often causes rocks to fall from the ceiling after it strikes. It will avoid doing so whenever it can, but are often so aggressive that they will ram the walls anyway. This attack often leaves its prey as nothing more but a squished mass of flesh and blood, making for easy digestion.
Male and female Crawbsters hunt in the same way, but the males have a much bigger arm with which they can use to swat attackers away. This attack is incapable of dealing any real damage, but often leaves his prey weakened or stunned. In particular, Pikmin (see 'Pikmin') will always be reduced to their leaf stage if hit by this attack.
If an Armurk finds that its prey is being particularly persistent, it will launch leaf-like scales into the air and drop them down on its attackers much like an airstrike. These scales are soft and do little damage, but are heavy enough to leave most living beings stunned long enough for the Armurk to finish the battle.
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
Crawbsters are no less territorial among themselves as they are against other creatures. Contrary to popular belief, the females are not any less aggressive than the males, though they typically fight less violently. If two mature Crawbsters encounter each other outside of mating season, they will fight in much the same way they fight prey. They will ram into each other at full speeds, and the males will whack the other around with their massive arms. If they succeed in exposing the other's underbelly, they will continuously ram into it until the opposing Crawbster dies. Once it is dead, the winner will scoop out the tender innards - males use their arm, the females their tail - and consume them.
Armurks hardly ever encounter others of their kind, but aren't nearly as aggressive as the Crawbsters. They will roll into balls and ram each other as hard as they can, but the fights typically end here for it is more of a warning than a real attack. Usually, the two Armurks will leave each other alone and move on. Rarely, however, one Armurk may be stubborn and keep the attack going. This is usually a fight for territory, though it may also be a fight over a mate. These fights do not usually end in the loser's death, and instead end with the loser giving in and allowing the winner to have its territory and/or mate.
COURTING AND CHILDREARING
Mating season occurs every three months, and has little to do with the seasons due to their underground dwellings. Crawbsters and Armurks have similar ways of attracting mates, though they do have some key differences. A major difference is that male Crawbsters will mate with many females, while Armurks only have one partner each.
Female Crawbsters do little when it comes to courting, and instead let the males do all the work. Male Crawbsters will choose a female whom they believe will provide the best genetic material, and will fight with other males for her. Hormones emitted from males make them extra aggressive during mating season, and they are willing to slay multiple other Crawbsters in order to win the female's heart. It appears that often (though not necessarily always) the female will choose the winner not because his genetic material interests her, but because he has killed off all other options.
Armurks attract mates in much the same way, but both males and females fight over mates instead of just the males. These battles, though just as violent, hardly ever result in death. Typically, the winners of any given battle get to mate, while the losers are stuck with each other. Losing couples rarely mate, as neither appreciates the others' lacklustre genetic material.
Females of both known members of this family gestate for three weeks, and lay their eggs in little pits dug in the ground to keep them safe. The mother will defend her eggs even more ruthlessly than the male fights for her attention. The father's role in child rearing depends on the species - Crawbsters leave soon after the eggs are laid to look for more mates, while Armurks stay until the offspring are able to hunt on their own.
Creep-crab offspring mature surprisingly quickly, developing their hard carapace in just a week. The amount of Crawbster offspring are far lower than the amount of eggs, because they usually attack and kill each other ruthlessly before their carapaces are even formed. Armurks lay fewer eggs, since their offspring do not typically kill each other. As soon as their carapace fully forms, they leave the nests and search for their own territories underground. Often, Crawbsters will make their own out of desperation, or even kill older Crawbsters for more room. Armurks, meanwhile, are much more willing to go further distances for their own space.
OTHER NOTES
Early reports of the Crawbster were filed by an explorer who had assumed that the creature lived a passive and peaceful life. These early reports were the last thing they ever wrote, for their incorrect assumptions about the creature's behaviour led to their demise. The remains were originally thought to be that of an unrelated beast, until an autopsy revealed it to be the blood of a missing Hocotatian.
Very rarely, a female Crawbster is born with a hypertrophic arm, and vice versa. This is caused by a hormone imbalance or an extra chromosome. These Crawbsters are considered to be intersex. They can live perfectly happy and pain-free lives, but suffer from infertility.
If a Crawbster and an Armurk are ever to meet (something that will never happen naturally), the Crawbster will proceed to kill the Armurk. Don't think too much about what I just wrote. Please. In case the rest of this paper didn't make it obvious, Crawbsters are quite possibly the most aggressive creatures on the planet.
NOTES FROM OTHER RESEARCHERS
Segmented Crawbster -
We were SO close with this one! A massive claw and a hard carapace should guarantee success! But that belly is so sensitive that attacking it can bring it down easily. What a shame. Of course, it's hard to survive long enough to strike it! - Alph
There's a lot of creatures I hate on this planet, but this one takes the cake. It's mean, it's unrelenting, and I think it's smacked me enough times upside the head for me to… wait, what was I talking about? - Brittany
This is what I'm talking about. It's all go-go-go for this soldier! Its rolls flatten anything in its way and it won't stop until it hits an immovable wall. If it were ever found above ground, all would tremble in its wake! - Captain Charlie
Armurk -
Not as aggressive as its big-armed cousin, but its shell is no less tough. The only type of Pikmin to have a fighting chance is Rock. Its legs make for great climbing equipment too, so have fun trying to hit it! - Alph
It's definitely cuter than the other one, so points for that. But it's still a big mean jerk, so that's a few points off. At least this one doesn't cause… have I always had pink hair? - Brittany
This soldier is like a tank, except it moves like lightning. No amount of gunfire is going to pierce that plating, and if you see it rolling after you… say goodbye to your loved ones! - Captain Charlie
Author Notes - I won't lie, re-reading this to proofread had me shocked with just how mean and aggressive I made the Crawbsters. I mean... 'Armurks lay fewer eggs, since their offspring do not typically kill each other' is just one hell of a sentence.
Why are there so many families that begin with the letter 'C'? Seriously, there's still one more to go! Next time, we're dealing with the hilariously-named Crushblat family.
