| Property | Details |
|---|---|
| Species | Monopter astrapakantha ("one-finned lightning-thorn") |
| Attitude | Passive |
| Type | Mobile |
| Category | Foragers |
| Biome | Karakorum Metal Farms |
| Nutrition | Food +15 / Health 0 / Water -5 |
| Bioreactor | 600 seconds |
| Description | Edible though insubstantial fish. The specimen's charge crystal is older than its living body. |
| Scan Requirement | Bioscanner |
The Blackthorn is a passive, edible lifeform. It can be caught and turned into food. It provides +15 Food and -5 Water when consumed. The Digestion adaptation is required to safely consume alien lifeforms. A player without this adaptation will not receive its effect and be deducted health.
Appearance
The Blackthorn is different from the regular Hoverthorn only in coloration: instead of being light blue and orange, the Blackthorn's body is dominated by a very dark blue coloration, which is interspersed by a lighter fin and a thin, light blue line, which runs from the eyes to the rear crystal. The eyes feature pitch black scleras, a blue pupil, and black irises.
Behavior
Blackthorns are seemingly identical in behavior to regular Hoverthorns; they swim passively around their home biomes and are usually seen alone, or occasionally in small groups of 2-4. They will flee from the Player and nearby Predators.
Uses in Crafting
No specific crafting uses listed.
Databank Entry
Source: Scan a Blackthorn
A morph of Monopter astrapakantha which scavenges the charge crystals of dead hoverthorns. Genetically identical, but with distinct habitat, behavior and reproductive strategy.
1. Secondhand crystal
Blackthorns grow from eggs laid on the charge crystals of dead hoverthorns. The blackthorn fry depend on parental care to survive until they are large enough to use the crystal. Only one fry can inherit the crystal, so the parents engage in brood reduction.
2. Deepwater adaptations
The blackthorn's tissues and coloration are adapted for deep, dark water. Specimens in shallower waters may be drawn to sites of electrical activity.
3. Regulatory cascade
The difference between a hoverthorn and a blackthorn is a single genetic switch, activated during fetal development by the magnetic field of a charge crystal.
4. Crystal legacy
The death of a hoverthorn (or an older blackthorn) frees up a charge crystal for a new blackthorn to be born. The maximum blackthorn population is therefore equal to the number of hoverthorns who have ever lived. The charge crystal in the scanned index specimen is millions of years old, passed down from generation to generation.
5. Material competition
Alterra ecological models anticipate that the hoverthorn's jousting behavior should be magnified in the blackthorn, with ferocious competition over crystal falls. Crystals may be hoarded by relative alliances or offered as nuptial gifts.
Assessment: edible. Consider returning the charge crystal to the ocean after finishing your meal.
