| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Species | Ostrakonskelos glossaklept ("hard-legged tongue-thief") |
| Attitude | Passive |
| Type | Mobile |
| Category | Scavengers & Parasites |
| Biome | Karakorum Metal Farms (Runoff pools) |
| Scan Tool | Bioscanner |
The Tongue Thief (Axum: 
, translation: Adulate Mouthpart Thief) is a lifeform that parasitises the Epicurean.
Appearance
Tongue thieves most-closely resemble crabs and other marine members of Pancrustacea. Tongue thieves are colored a faint light yellow, much like the Karakorum Metal Farm runoff pools in which they inhabit.
Behavior
Often found in swarms near runoff pools, individual tongue thieves can be found swimming towards Epicureans to be 'eaten' by them. After being ingested by epicureans, tongue thieves evade digestion by latching onto the host epicurean's tongue, at which point, the tongue thieves secrete a potent satiety (fullness)-blocking chemical. Inhibiting the satiety of the host epicurean increases both epicurean aggression and feeding frequency, providing a consistent source of nutrition for the resident tongue thief.
While tongue thieves can remain indefinitely latched to host epicurean tongues, tongue thieves can be expelled from host epicureans by the player in-game using the Sonic Resonator. Tongue thieves cannot be expelled with the Survival Multitool.
Databank Entry
Ostrakonskelos glossaklept, the hard-legged tongue thief. A parasitic crab or louse that dwells in the mouth, causing intense and unremitting hunger.
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Crablike body plan A close relative of other Protean crabs, belonging to the infraorder Adulati. The segmented body has two cerci, nerve-rich organs which evolved from legs. The mouthparts are simple. The tongue thief relies on its host to chew food.
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Parasitic hijack Tongue thieves mimic other prey species until swallowed, then use a numbing agent to paralyze the predator's jaw long enough to anchor to the tongue. This numbing agent blocks the nerves that signal satiety (fullness) to the brain.
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Semi-cooperative hunting Although they are parasites, tongue thieves' small eyes and grasping limbs help the host latch onto food.
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Reproduction Tongue thieves anchor eggs or spermatophores in the mouth of their host, where they wait for a thief of the opposite sex to arrive. Infant tongue thieves (called manca) pass through the host's digestive tract.
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Possible cultural function In the same way some human cultures use capsaicin in food, it is conceivable that other organisms might develop a taste for the tongue thief's numbing agent. Personal experimentation would be ill-advised.
Assessment: expel parasite to reduce host hunger. Be alert for juveniles who may attempt to infest your mouth.
Source: Scan a Tongue Thief
Gallery
In Game
Trivia
- The tongue thief bears a similarity in its habits and parasitic behaviour to the Tongue-Eating Louse, Cymothoa exigua, a real Earth isopod which also parasitises fish by living in their mouth and replacing their host's tongue.
