Sand Shark

Overview

The Sand Shark is a fauna species dwelling mostly in the Grassy Plateaus, Crash Zone, and the Dunes. They prefer to stay close to, or beneath the seafloor and never wander near the surface.

Appearance

The Sand Shark's body is segmented and their dorsal surface is completely covered with a plated exoskeleton, having a grayish-violet upperside and a pinkish underbelly, with a brief gap where its muscle can be seen. Short, grey, leg-like appendages appear in two rows of six on its underside, used to disturb the surface of the sand.

The Sand Shark's head features four orange eyes, which are divided into sets of two on each side, and a large fin-like protrusion on the top. It has a rather large mouth equipped with six rows of sharp, jagged teeth, which continue to go down the Sand Shark's throat. Its mouth's flesh glows orange.

Behavior

As its name implies, the Sand Shark tends to burrow into the sand and waits for unsuspecting prey to swim by for an ambush attack. When it does so, sand clouds start to form denser and denser in the surrounding area.

Before attacking prey, it lets out a series of low growls, alerting the player to its presence. This makes them fairly easy to avoid, as the player can retreat back to the surface or vehicle before the Sand Shark has a chance to deal with any damage.

Once its prey, or the player themselves, has approached close enough, the Sand Shark will emerge from the sand and chase them. The Sand Shark swims at a rather fast pace and can catch up to the player should they continue to swim in a straight line. To evade this, retreat to the safety of a submersible or base, or repeatedly change direction. If the player can reach the surface or evade damage for long enough, the Sand Shark will break off the chase and return to its previous location.

Sand Sharks also occasionally wander into the Jellyshroom Caves and Kelp Forest, despite not being native to those biomes or spawning there.

Sand Sharks themselves make no attempts to dodge attacks, simply swimming in a straight line. As such, they are easy to repel with blasts from the Repulsion Cannon or a Torpedo System. When a Sand Shark is attacked, it will swim away extremely quickly until it is far enough away from its attacker.

Energy Value

• Sand Shark: 630 Energy
• Sand Shark Egg: 210 Energy

Data Bank Entry

A powerful, medium-sized predator that burrows into the sand and ambushes its prey from below. As with many predators it may be possible to temporarily distract sand sharks by feeding any hungry specimens that draw close.

1. Forward Dorsal Fin: The unusual location of this fin suggests a purpose unrelated to movement through the water. It may be employed in shifting sand beneath the surface, or in mating rituals, or may simply be an evolutionary dead end.
2. Segmented Exoskeleton: Thick armor plating renders the sand shark almost immune to attack from above. While it is capable of impressive acceleration its exoskeleton prevents it from changing direction quickly. The sand shark is thus a perfectly-designed ambush hunter, but ill-suited to sustained pursuits.
3. Feet: Ill-designed for ambulation. Likely used to disturb the surface of the sand so the lifeform can burrow into the ground.

Assessment: Avoid - Be vigilant for ambush in sandy biomes

Source: Scan

Gallery

Front view

Side profile

Dorsal view

Bioluminescence

Size comparison to the player

A Sand Shark egg

A Sand Shark in the Grassy Plateaus

Sand Sharks in the Crash Zone

Two Sand Sharks hiding in the sand

Sand shark roaming the Grassy Plateaus

Movement animations

Concept art

Model from Sketchfab

Model of Egg from Sketchfab

Trivia

• The concept art for this creature shows a Spinnerfish, which was cut from Subnautica but repurposed for Subnautica: Below Zero, where it can be found in the Arctic Kelp Caves, Deep Lilypads Cave, and the Lilypad Islands.