Crabsnake

The Crabsnake is a large, aggressive fauna species found exclusively in the Jellyshroom Cave, where they reside in the Jellyshrooms. It will attack the player on approach with a grab attack, rendering them immobile and dealing 35 damage.

Appearance

The Crabsnake has a long, serpentine body with two long, translucent fins running from the neck, down the sides of its body, to the end of the tail. These fins undulate as it moves, and emit a violet bioluminescent glow. The top of its body is bright pink, with horizontal reddish-brown stripes every few feet along its entire length, along with many bright purple dorsal growths, which appear to be from another life form, growing on the creature's back. It is possible that these are Jellyshroom spores growing on the Crabsnake, in a similar fashion to how barnacles live on whales. Its underside is bright white in color. The Crabsnake's head sports two pairs of small fangs resembling a crab’s pinchers, in its small, rectangular mouth, and two much larger black-tipped claws on either side. It has no visible eyes.

Behavior

Crabsnakes are aggressive towards the player as well as medium and shark classified fauna. The predator will hide inside a Jellyshroom in an upright position while docile. Upon the player or fauna drawing near, the Crabsnake will spring out and grab them. The player will be locked in place while being attacked by the creature.

Crabsnakes will sometimes leave the mushroom and swim around the cave. They may chase after fauna or the player and attempt to bite them. Similar to the mushroom attack, the player will be locked in place when bit. When low on health, Crabsnakes will begin to coil up when targeting the player and will attempt to stay in front of them. In this state, they will swiftly attack the player if in range. This attack will not lock the player in place. The creature will flee for a few seconds upon being struck twice with the knife or once with the Thermoblade.

Crabsnakes will target the Seamoth or Prawn Suit when the player is piloting them while outside their mushroom. They will not jump out of their mushroom to attack either vehicle.

Like most carnivores, holding any fauna will cause the Crabsnake to eat the fish upon attacking the player, preventing damage from being taken. This will decrease the creature’s aggression for a short time.

Crabsnakes hatched in the Alien Containment are passive towards the player.

Energy Value

• Crabsnake: 700 Energy
• Crabsnake Egg: 231 Energy

Data Bank Entry

This lifeform appears to live in symbiosis with the local flora. All encountered specimens have been located within 50m of jellyshroom flora, frequently within the plants themselves.

1. Jaws: The crabsnake has two pairs of fangs, and one larger claw on either side. It plunges these claws into its prey, locking them in place while the inner jaw tears through the flesh.
2. Jellyshroom Symbiosis: Jellyshrooms provide the perfect lair from which to ambush their prey, and protect their young. The presence of crabsnakes likely deters herbivores from feeding on the jellyshroom itself, thus ensuring the relationship continues.
3. Behavior: Crabsnakes display territorial behavior when threatened, patrolling the cave systems in which they reside.

Assessment: Avoid

Gallery

Trivia

• It is possible for Crabsnakes to re-enter their home mushroom with the player inside it.
• The Crabsnake will attempt to reach its spawn point to "hide in" if spawned, even without a Jellyshroom.
• The Crabsnake might be based on the real-life Bobbit worm, a marine worm that is also an ambush predator.
• The Crabsnake and the Jellyshroom have an inter-species mutualistic relationship, one of only five such relationships observed so far on Planet 4546B. The other four are between the Crashfish and the Sulfur Plant, the Titan Holefish and the Symbiote, the Ventgarden and the Spiral Plant, and the floaters body.

Bugs

• Crabsnakes can sometimes be seen out in the open sticking straight up, as if they were in their Jellyshrooms waiting to ambush. This, however, is merely a visual bug and the Crabsnake has no hitbox and is not scannable. Swimming over its jellyshroom will cause it to teleport back to its proper location in order to attack.